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Microsoft Patches Fix IE, Sony Flaws
An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft issued two security updates today, one of which fixes at least four flaws in its Internet Explorer browser, including one for which an exploit was released over Thanksgiving that is now being used by a handful of porn sites to install spyware, etc. According to Washingtonpost.com, the IE patch also removes a component left behind by a patch from Sony BMG designed to remove some of the more dangerous features of anti-piracy software installed by Sony BMG music CDs. Researchers found that the Sony patch changed settings in IE so that any Web site could install software on those machines."
Ever hear of QA?
'mmmmmmmmm.... forbidden donut'
If Microsoft released a patch right away, administrators would complain they are patching too often and forcing them to test internal software more.
If Microsoft waits for the patch cycle, slashdotters complain Microsoft is purposely holding out so that they can sell anti-virus
And normal computer users, they don't patch so it really does matter
gut reaction is troll, then I scroll down the front page almost all articles posted by this guy are flamebait or corportae shil. CmdrTaco fairs not much better, infact ScuttleMonkey seemes to be the only one posting anything other than Slashvertisements and Flamebait. Perhaps a new poll, which Slashdot Editor is less of a tool.
HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray, Xbox 360 vs. PS3, and then there's Microsoft's move into the music business. Must say there's not many things more satisfying than pointing out (and fixing) the wrongdoings of the "competition" -- ain't that right, fellow slashbots?
One of the biggest complaints about Windows security is that it's hard to not run as administrator because so many programs require it to install, yet this is a guaranteed "feature" of Linux: WTF?
This is just a good occasion for MS to say "hey look how Sony software suck so much we need to clean the mess for them".
After the HD DVD delay and the xbox failure in Japan, MS needed to do some anti sony PR to make it up in their little war against Sony.
The True FOSS Skype Replacement
... or so you think... having a linux box on your desk isn't necessarily a badge of common sense and intelligence
Of course Microsoft wants to appear as the Knight in Shining Armour who saved us from the Evil Sony.
Who has just invested millions in the launch of a games console, and who is the current leader in that arena?
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
Why would you want to let ordinary users install packages? Isn't that what leads to Sony rootkits etc.?
Package installation probably should have a warning like old newsreaders had:
"Please be sure you know what you are doing."
In fact, any software installation should have it. Some malware gets on Windows machines instantly through Outlook or IE exploits, but great deal of it gets there because non-tech-savvy users see a "Click OK to install the UltraCoolSlickLinksToolBar plugin" dialog and don't know the difference between that and a "Click OK to install the Macromedia Flash plugin" dialog.
Users should be made aware that installing software is like tinkering with your car's engine: it's important to know what you're doing.
Requiring someone to enter a mode of operation specifically designed to modify the system seems like a strength to me.
The Internet is full. Go away.
Will people remember this farce and say thanks but no thanks to Blu-Ray because they're not sure what the drivers will do to their computer? And if you can't trust Sony's Blu-Ray drivers, who's to say the HD-DVD drivers will be any safer?
It would be ironic if somebody at Sony who was worried about selling a few copies of a country-western CD ended up jeopardizing a billion dollar market.
Yes, there are a lot of sucky developers who make windows apps. There are also plenty of sucky developers working on *nix software. I've installed plenty of stuff off sourceforge that was badly written.
This is a developer issue, not a windows issue.
Kool Keith is white?
i wonder if microsoft will invoice sony for this..
-- lol pwned
Funny, M$ is doing something _right_ for once.
Well, I've been enjoying playing games on my M$ box for years now, so unless I've totally overlooked a whole Linux-gaming world, then that can't be the 1st thing they've done right. Yes, M$ sucks for servers, browsing, anything needing security, etc... but I need a M$ box if I want to enjoy any games at home.
Sorry, but this needs to be ranted about, because I could be done with M$ forever if only the last piece of the puzzle was taken care of... and that's gaming. Why hasn't the open source community developed a strong gaming environment for *nix yet?! With all the awesome OSS software out there, I've often wondered why the gaming area wasn't kicking butt as well.
Saying that "Windows is fine" is almost irresponsible. A straight plain windows install with no other software and no internet connection is not fine. Windows still crashes easily... I could go on and on about it, but before someone replies with a counter argument, let me just say that if my computer reboots and I don't expect it to, that either means my UPS ran out of juice during a blackout, or else I just cooked some component on my motherboard, and its safe to say that neither of those happen too often, so basically, I reboot about once a year, for the purposes of a kernel upgrade or a hardware upgrade. Any more than that irritates me. Make that argument for a windows machine, I dare you... Sony, IE or any other single entity is not to blame. It is a failure to write stable software, point blank and period.
Its only illegal if you don't get caught