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*HOT* Tech News And Downloads, I Would Read This Thread And Post Any Good Info
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. April 2007 @ 09:54 |
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Free anti-rootkit software,
p2pnet.net news:- Grisoft partner AVG UK & Ireland is offering free software to detect and remove rootkits, intended to, "conceal running processes, files or system data from the operating system," as the Wikipedia describes them.
The most infamous example of recent times was Sony BMG's dangerous-to-computers rootkit spyware hidden on music CDs. It installed itself without buyers' knowledge, and Sony BMG is still reaping the fallout.
Rootkits, "were originally used by hackers to cover their tracks after unauthorised access to computers," says Grisoft. "Today, these techniques have been redesigned in order to mask the presence of malicious software used to gather and exploit personal information such as credit card numbers and social security numbers creating a serious threat to users," says Grisoft, going on:
"Rootkits have become a severe threat in comparison to traditional malware because conventional antivirus often misses the hidden rootkit. They execute by embedding applications within the operating system, which is also an essential application to many necessary programs including antivirus protection, so it is important to correctly distinguish between malicious rootkits and legitimately hidden processes."
Click here for an Anti-Rootkit download.
Slashdot Slashdot it!
Also See:
AVG UK & Ireland - AVG Offers New Free Anti-Rootkit to Fight Severe Hidden Threats, April 10, 2007
http://p2pnet.net/story/11937
link to the good stuff (DOWNLOAD)
http://www.grisoft.com/
Quote:
About GRISOFT
www.grisoft.com
GRISOFT is a leading provider of antivirus, firewall protection and security solutions for consumers and SMEs. It is one of the fastest growing companies in the industry with more than 40 million users around the world that rely on GRISOFT AVG products to protect their computers and networks.
Established in 1991, GRISOFT employs some of the world?s leading experts in antivirus software, specifically in the areas of virus analysis and detection, software development, and antivirus support. GRISOFT award-winning products are distributed globally through resellers and the Internet as well as via AVG Anti-Virus Software Developer?s Kit (SDK) to interested partners.
Quote:
About AVG UK & Ireland
AVG UK & Ireland, based in Newark, Notts, is an innovator in value for network antivirus solutions with sole responsibility for sales and marketing of the Grisoft AVG product family in the region. AVG UK & Ireland provides advanced information security software which is supported by one of the most accessible technical helpdesks in the industry. Its flagship product, AVG Internet Security provides home office PC users and small business networks with comprehensive protection against viruses, spyware, spam, hackers and phishing attacks. Its portfolio now includes AVG Anti-Virus and AVG Anti-Malware home office and network editions. Other small office products include AVG plus firewall and AVG Anti-Spyware while File, Email, SBS and Linux Email Server versions are available for medium-sized and enterprise business networks. AVG provides a personal service for four million users across the UK and Ireland.
For more information, visit www.avguk.com.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 11. April 2007 @ 09:58
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Advertisement
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. April 2007 @ 10:04 |
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WiPeer ThinkVantage update
p2pnet.net news:- WiPeer's creators bill it as a p2p application offering "freedom to share, no strings attached".
And that, in turn, means file sharing among computers, multi-player games, chats, and collaboration over both Wi-Fi and home/office networks. And, no adware, no spyware, no malware, WiPeer promises.
Officially released last month, it was developed to allow communication, "in a peer-to-peer manner, between mobile computers, when either there is no access point, or when the access point costs money, or when for privacy reasons, the users do not wish to utilise the access point," but one thing was lacking.
There was a chance it might not work properly with versions of Lenovo ThinkVantage Access Connections older than 4.23.
However, that problem has now been remedied in version 0.56.
"Vista will be hopefully later this week," team leader Roy Friedman (right) told p2pnet. "It's a bit more work than we initially thought."
http://p2pnet.net/story/11939
Download WiPeer for Windows XP
Click here for a download.
http://www.wipeer.com/download.html
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. April 2007 @ 10:12 |
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Spybot Search and Destroy Update April 11, 2007
Author: PepiMK Software
Date: 2007-04-11
Size: 1.3 Mb
License: Freeware
Spybot - Search and Destroy Updater will allow you to update your Spybot S&D detections without the need for the included WebUpdate.
DOWNLOAD HERE
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Spybot_Search_...date_d3957.html
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. April 2007 @ 10:14 |
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Opera 9.20 Build 8771
Author: Opera
Date: 2007-04-11
Size: 4.8 Mb
License: Freeware
The most full-featured Internet power tool on the market, Opera includes tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking, integrated searches and advanced functions like Opera's groundbreaking e-mail program, RSS Newsfeeds and IRC chat. And because we know that our users have different needs, you can customize the look and content of your Opera browser with a few clicks of the mouse.
DOWNLOAD HERE
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Opera_d559.html
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. April 2007 @ 10:17 |
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WinAudit 2.19
Author: Parmavex Services
Date: 2007-04-11
Size: 768 Kb
License: Freeware
WinAudit performs a rapid and exhaustive audit of installed software, license information, security configuration, hardware inventory, network settings and much more.
- Easy to use
- Audits virtually everything
- No setup
- Windows® 95 and up
- Save in text, html, csv, pdf
- Send audit by e-mail
- Export to databases
- Operates in batch mode
- Extensive documentation
- Free for any use!
DOWNLOAD HERE
http://www.majorgeeks.com/WinAudit_d4967.html
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. April 2007 @ 10:19 |
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Microsoft Junk Email Filter for Outlook 2003 (April 2007)
Author: Microsoft Corp.
Date: 2007-04-11
Size: 3.2 Mb
License: Freeware
Requires: Win XP/2K/2003
This optional update will provide the Junk E-mail Filter in MS Office Outlook 2003 with a more current definition of which e-mail messages should be considered junk mail. This update was released in April 2007.
Requirements:
· Windows 2000 Service Pack 3, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP
· Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
DOWNLOAD HERE
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Microsoft_Junk...2003_d5412.html
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. April 2007 @ 10:22 |
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free PDF converter doPDF 5.0.214
Author: Softland
Date: 2007-04-11
Size: 937 Kb
License: Freeware
Requires: Win 2K/03/XP/Vista
doPDF is a free PDF converter for both personal and commercial use. Using doPDF you can create searchable PDF files by selecting the "Print" command from virtually any application. With one click you can convert your Microsoft Excel, Word or PowerPoint documents or your emails and favorite web sites to PDF files.
doPDF installs itself as a virtual printer driver so after a successful installation will appear in your Printers and Faxes list. To create PDF files, you just have to print your documents to the doPDF pdf converter. Open a document (with Microsoft Word, WordPad, NotePad or any other software), choose Print and select doPDF. It will ask you where to save the PDF file and when finished, the PDF file will be automatically opened in your default PDF viewer.
Main features:
- No Ghostscript
- Customizable resolution
- Predefined/custom page sizes
- Searchable PDFs
- Multilanguage support
DOWNLOAD HERE
http://www.majorgeeks.com/doPDF_d5545.html
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. April 2007 @ 10:25 |
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Wise Registry Cleaner 2.0
Author: WiseCleaner
Date: 2007-04-11
Size: 993 Kb
License: Freeware
Wise Registry Cleaner is a free and one of the safest Registry cleaning tools available in the market today. Its scanning engine is thorough, safe and fast.
Wise Registry Cleaner scans the Windows registry and finds incorrect or obsolete information in the registry. By fixing these obsolete information in Windows registry, your system will can work better and more quickly.
After Wise Registry Cleaner analyzes your system for problems, you can individually view each of the problems found and call up a detailed description. If you wish, you can also have all problems corrected automatically.
All changes to your system are monitored by Wise Registry Cleaner and can be undone with a few mouse clicks.
DOWNLOAD HERE
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Wise_Registry_Cleaner_d5437.html
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. April 2007 @ 10:28 |
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Money Manager Ex 0.8.0.6
Author: Thezeal Software
Date: 2007-04-11
Size: 1.9 Mb
License: Freeware
Requires: Win XP/2K/2003
Money Manager Ex is a free, open-source, cross-platform, easy-to-use personal finance software. It primarily helps organize one's finances and keeps track of where, when and how the money goes. This software is also a great tool to get a bird's eye view of your financial worth.
Money Manager includes all the basic features that 90% of users would want to see in a personal finance application. The design goals are to concentrate on simplicity and user-friendliness - something one can use everyday.
Money Manager Ex is a complete rewrite of the original Money Manager .NET. It can run on Windows currently and port to Linux will be released shortly.
DOWNLOAD HERE
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Money_Manager_Ex_d5410.html
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. April 2007 @ 16:59 |
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New Hard Drives Hold a Terabyte of Data
By Lamont Wood
Special to LiveScience
posted: 08 April 2007
11:34 pm ET
Just when you got used to hard drives with hundreds of gigabytes (hundreds of billions of bytes) they do it: make one with a terabyte (a trillion bytes).
Yes, you can now get a terabyte hard drive on a desktop PC. Breaking the ice with a Hitachi drive was Dell, with ?Area 51? game-oriented machines from its Alienware subsidiary. The 1T option initially costs $500.
In case you?re wondering, as printed text a terabyte would occupy 100 million reams of paper, consuming some 50,000 trees. It is enough to hold 16 days (not hours) of DVD-quality video, or a million pictures, or almost two years worth of continuous music.
You might not have any songs that last for two years, but that?s irrelevant, indicated Henry Baltazar, storage analyst for The 451 Group, a technology analyst firm in San Francisco. ?There will be a demand for it, since a lot of people have digital media, like movies, pictures and music,? Baltazar told LiveScience.
?Larger devices will become more commonplace, and we will see the same kind of transition from gigabyte to terabyte drives as we previously saw from megabyte to gigabyte drives?in fact, the move from 500 gigabytes to a terabyte has taken longer than expected.?
The leap from 500G to 1T required a breakthrough in ?areal density? (how tight the bytes are packed on the surface of the disk), according to Doug Pickford, a marketing executive at Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. The trick, he explained, was to move to Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR), where each bit is a perpendicular rather than a linear magnetized spot on the disk?as if the bits were standing up rather than lying down.
Currently, areal density is growing at about 35 to 40 percent per year, and the techniques used to create the 1T drive are expandable to make a 5T drive, Pickford said. More work will be needed to surpass the 5T hurdle, but he foresaw no physical limitations until drives reach a capacity of at least 50T.
At that point, they?ll hold about a century of music.
Incidentally, for planning purposes, the next level is the petabyte (a quadrillion bytes); and then the exabyte (one quintillion bytes); and then the zettabyte (one sextillion bytes); and then the yottabyte (one septillion bytes.)
* New Technique Stores Data in Bacteria
* New Computer Hard Drives Better, Faster, Stronger
* Broadband's Powerful Future
http://www.livescience.com/technology/070408_terabyte_anyone.html
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. April 2007 @ 17:55 |
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WHAT HAPPEDED TO THE VISTA THREAD?????????????
i know where it went,Windows - General discussion
http://forums.afterdawn.com/forum_view.cfm/165
Vista: Whatever happened to fast boot?
Anyone else remember when Microsoft used to talk about making Windows Vista (or Longhorn, as it was then known) a fast-booting operating system. Fast, as in cold boots that were 50 percent faster than those possible with Windows XP?
Something obviously went awry.
As Computerworld is reporting, a number of Vista users are none too happy about Vista boot-up times. Some are questioning whether Microsoft is advocating that users just put Vista into sleep mode, as opposed to shutting down systems on a daily basis, to mask the sluggish boot up.
(And it's not just boot up speeds that are troublesome. Vista shutdown is as slow as molasses, too, Computerworld is reporting users as saying. And app-loading times are nothing to write home about, either.)
Microsoft has been touting the sleep/hibernate modes as the preferred ways to "shut off" Vista systems. As former Windows Chief Jim Allchin blogged in December:
"Everyone knows that turning a TV off doesn?t really turn it off. It is still available to receive the remote control signal, etc. so that it can come back on quickly. We wanted to emulate this for Windows Vista machines.
"To the degree possible, 'off' equals 'sleep' in Windows Vista, where the system state is saved in RAM. This creates the best balance of user experience for speed of resuming and lowest usage of power. However, if the PC is running on batteries even that minimal power usage could drain the batteries eventually. Remember the top goal here is to make sure that we can enable a fast on experience (like your cell phone) and a fast off experience, while still making sure that you don't lose your work when a Windows PC is turned off. To do this, we created a new approach that we call 'hybrid sleep state' that is the best of the sleep and hibernate modes (which existed separately in Windows XP)."
From the reaction on the Vista support forums, it doesn't seem like users are cottoning to Microsoft's sleep/hibernate Vista settings.
What's your take? Does Microsoft need to rethink its Windows power-management defaults with Windows Seven and beyond?
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=378
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 11. April 2007 @ 18:23
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janrocks
Suspended permanently
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11. April 2007 @ 18:30 |
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Something about burning with vista.. from the horses mouth (or is that the horses a$$??)
Quote:
Henry Gabryjelski - MSFT
Re: Burning A DVD In Vista
Hi,
When you insert a writable DVD media into Windows Vista, the autoplay dialog should appear and prompt you for the volume label immediately. (this is on a clean install w/o any other writing apps -- Nero not required!) You should be able to just drag and drop the files after the initial formatting that this prompt results in. This allows you to write to CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-R DL, DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM (maybe others too, I don't have the full list in front of me). You can also choose the "advanced" option during the volume label prompt to choose to use IMAPIv2 in the shell; this results in discs that are more interoperable with consumer electronic devices. Windows Media Player and DVD Maker also use IMAPIv2 to create discs, if you want to make video or audio discs.
For the ability to burn ISO images, that is also supported by our APIs in Windows Vista, but Microsoft did not finalize the code in time for the RTM release. Therefore, that feature was cut (against our team's strong objections). There is at least one free program to burn ISO images in Windows Vista available:
http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/Vista.htm
I hope this helps,
Senior Software Development Engineer | Optical Platform Group | Microsoft
and for your own security Quote:
"Everyone knows that turning a TV off doesn?t really turn it off. It is still available to receive the remote control signal, etc. so that it can come back on quickly. We wanted to emulate this for Windows Vista machines.
make sure you have the "wake up on LAN" disabled in your bios, or be prepared to be hacked to death while you are at work/sleeping/enjoying your other half etc.... Sleep/hibernate IS NOT OFF!! and is bad for the planet. The greens should be up in arms about this "new" (NOT) feature. Me? I just leave my old heap on all the time.. at least I don't have to ever worry it won't boot.
and there be more about burning problems.. arrr arrr arrrrrrrrr...
Quote:
Hi I had a similar problem, mine was 98.6% then the disc would pop out. I seeked a resolution on the net and was advised that it was a codec problem and that I needed to update them. I was directed to
codec-Package-Download-55586.html" target="_blank">http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Ad...load-55586.html
I was advised to ensue the removal of all previous third party codec before installing. ( 3rd Party only not the ones that came with vista.)
This seems to have worked ...fingers crossed
http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Advanced-Vista-codec-Package-Download-55586.html
AD gripe.. damn hotword linking is breaking some links.. copy/paste that one to get at the software. codec in the link is with a capital "C" so you will have to change it.. there is no other way except maybe codec-Package-Download-55586.html" target="_blank">clickies Try that, if not working I'll try another way.
http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Advanced-Vista-codec-Package-Download-55586.html
Now that ^^ is just fu**ing wrong! It should leave everything between the tags unchanged!!
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 11. April 2007 @ 18:58
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. April 2007 @ 19:00 |
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Windows XP to be Phased Out by Year's End Despite Strong Demand
Linked by Eugenia Loli-Queru on 2007-04-12 00:49:39 UTC, submitted by Dan Warne
Computer makers have been told they'll no longer be able to get Windows XP OEM by the end of this year, despite strong ongoing demand for the OS. Analysts and computer makers are wondering if the move is premature given Vista's ongoing performance and compatibility issues. Dell recently said it would reintroduce XP on a range of machines due to customer demand but Microsoft will only allow this until the end of the year.
Windows XP to be phased out by year's end despite customer demand
* 12th April 2007
* Angus Kidman
* Vista, Windows
Computer makers have been told they'll no longer be able to get Windows XP OEM by the end of this year, despite consumer resistance to Vista and its compatibility problems.
By early 2008, Microsoft's contracts with computer makers will require companies to only sell Vista-loaded machines. "The OEM version of XP Professional goes next January," said Frank Luburic, senior ThinkPad product manager for Lenovo. "At that point, they'll have no choice."
Despite Microsoft's relentless promotion of Vista, manufacturers are still seeing plenty of demand from customers for systems preloaded with XP, especially in the finicky SOHO market.
In a recent post on its Direct2Dell blog, Dell reaffirmed to concerned customers that it wasn't about to force small business users -- who typically purchase PCs piecemeal, rather than in large enterprise-style orders -- to shift to Vista, which has experienced a less-than-stellar reaction from many buyers because of driver issues and moderately beefy hardware requirements.
"Dell recognizes the needs of small business customers and understands that more time is needed to transition to a new operating system," the post read in part. "The plan is to continue offering Windows XP on select Dimension and Inspiron systems until later this [northern] summer."
"From a local perspective, the post was a reminder more than an announcement," Dell ANZ corporate communications manager Paul McKeon told APC.
"This was something we'd always planned during the transition phase since businesses will have different time frames to adopt the new OS. If you're a consumer, you're unlikely to be managing more than say 2.4 OS images at home, so it's less of an issue"
There's general agreement amongst PC resellers that Vista has provided a minor boost to PC sales, but hasn't produced blockbuster numbers. A similar story applies in the retail space. Figures from marketing consultancy GfK suggest that after an initial sales surge, around 1500 copies of Vista are now being sold through Australian retailers each week, according to a recent report in the AFR.
While Dell's post suggested it wouldn't be promoting Vista systems to the home market, manufacturers still have the option of selling XP-based systems for consumers this year.
http://apcmag.com/5835/vendors_in_no_rush_to_ditch_xp_for_vista
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AfterDawn Addict
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12. April 2007 @ 04:20 |
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OLD NEWS ON VISTA AND TO SHOW YE THE TIE IN WITH THE STUDIOS AND MICROSOFT
NOTE:I have over 600 articles on vista.or Longhorn
Hollywood, Microsoft align on new Windows
Published: August 30, 2005, 4:00 AM PDT
By John Borland
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
TrackBack Print E-mail TalkBack
As Microsoft readies the next version of its Windows operating system, called Vista, the software giant is building in unprecedented levels of safeguards against video piracy.
For the first time, the Windows operating system will wall off some audio and video processes almost completely from users and outside programmers, in hopes of making them harder for hackers to reach. The company is establishing digital security checks that could even shut off a computer's connections to some monitors or televisions if antipiracy procedures that stop high-quality video copying aren't in place.
In short, the company is bending over backward--and investing considerable technological resources--to make sure Hollywood studios are happy with the next version of Windows, [/b][b]which is expected to ship on new PCs by late 2006. Microsoft believes it has to make nice with the entertainment industry if the PC is going to form the center of new digital home networks, which could allow such new features as streaming high-definition movies around the home.
PCs won't be the only ones with reinforced pirate-proofing. Other new consumer electronics devices will have to play by a similar set of rules in order to play back the studios' most valuable content, Microsoft executives say. Indeed, assuring studios that content will have extremely strong protection is the only way any device will be able to support the studios' planned high-definition content, the software company says.
"The table is already set," said Marcus Matthias, product manager for Microsoft's digital media division. "We can come in and eat at the buffet, or we can stand outside and wash cars."
Hollywood studios didn't get all the protections they wanted in Vista, and record labels have even seen some of their key concerns about copy-protecting CDs left unaddressed. But the Vista operating system as a whole goes much further than any general-purpose computing platform before it toward addressing content companies' piracy fears.
But these deep changes in the way the operating system handles entertainment content will also come with costs. The most obvious of these may be the risk of compatibility problems between some older monitors or TVs and Vista computers, particularly when trying to play high-quality video. Vista may also make it harder to do some casual copying, such as recording Internet audio.
"This is definitely being driven by Microsoft's desire to position Windows as a home entertainment hub, and to do that they have to make some concessions," said Matt Rosoff, an analyst with research firm Directions on Microsoft. "They're walking a line, trying to please both sides (content companies and consumers) at the same time."
These changes are worrisome to some computer programmers and digital activist groups. They fear that increasingly high security levels will block off avenues of programming innovation, or even stop computer owners from accessing portions of their own machines--a little like walling off a room inside a private house.
"There is a concern that there is a tendency to lock down parts of the design to protect the flanks of the copy-protection system," said Princeton University computer science professor Edward Felten, who has been an outspoken critic of rigid copy-protection rules. "That makes it harder for everyone, including Microsoft, to adapt to new uses."
Putting video behind a wall
Several major changes have been made to the way the operating system will handle video and audio, though few of these are included in the early version now in the hands of beta testers. The rest of the components will likely be added in the next, as yet unscheduled, beta release, and will be in the final launch of the operating system next year.
At the most basic level, some audio and video--at least when it is in Microsoft's Windows Media format--will be handled in a new "protected environment" that will keep applications such as media players or plug-ins separate from the actual media data.
FAQ
Vista's antipiracy shield
Microsoft is working closely with studios in ways that could affect your home entertainment system. Here's what you need to know.
Essentially, this means that much of the actual heavy lifting of decoding, unlocking and playing the audio will happen in what some engineers refer to as a separate "sandbox." Media player applications will send remote control commands such as play, fast-forward or stop into this protected space, without directly handling the data as they do today.
Technology called the "Protected Video Path" will then attempt to ensure that a video stream is encrypted--and thus difficult to copy--all the way until it reaches a monitor or other device where it is being displayed.
This won't always be possible, because most analog plugs, and some digital connections, don't support this kind of copy protection. Part of Vista's job will be to check to see what kind of devices are
(continued from previous page)
linked to the computer, and through what kind of connection, and decide whether the content can be encrypted or otherwise protected over that link.
If the answer is "no," in the case of high-resolution Video Graphics Array (VGA) connections, or some early Digital Video Interface connections, the computer could shut down output of video altogether through those plugs, if the content owners require that.
Alternately, Vista will include a "constriction" feature that can decrease the resolution of high-definition video on the fly, outputting a version that is slightly fuzzier (about the same as today's DVDs) than the pristine original. This can be used as an alternative to blocking a connection altogether, if a content company won't let high-definition video play over the lower-security outputs.
This feature won't affect most HD televisions, which typically are already shipped with secure connection technologies. PC monitors have been slower to adopt tools such as Intel's HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) that support secure connections, however.
Most of these advanced copy-protection features in Vista are designed to apply to high-definition content and are unlikely to change the way today's DVDs or broadcast-quality content is played, Microsoft says.
Labels lack copy-protected CD support
A similar process will happen for copy-protected audio files, potentially encrypting the audio until it leaves the computer, and offering the ability to turn off specific outputs if content owners deem them insecure.
For the last year, record labels have sought additional features in the operating system that would make playing copy-protected CDs a more streamlined experience. But so far, Microsoft has not added any features specifically supporting these new CDs, saying that the technology isn't yet mature, and that other companies--Apple Computer and other music software companies included--also need to be involved.
Adobe under construction
Staking a claim to name search
Google's Web developer play
Landmine for job-hoppers?
Securing Vista PCs
Previous Next
"We're seeing digital distribution move at a rapid enough pace that the rules for which people access content today across the music services are very consistent," said John Paddleford, lead program manager for the Microsoft team that works directly with content companies. "This is what we're driving the labels to reach on the CD itself, so there's a consistent consumer experience. I think it is going to take time for the labels and the application vendors--not just Microsoft--to find a middle ground."
A spokesman for the Recording Industry Association of America, which has engaged in discussions with Microsoft on this issue, declined to comment.
Sensitive subject
Microsoft is aware that the high level of protection--which could result in some monitors and TVs not playing high-definition content at full resolution--could spark criticism and confusion.
The company is quick to say that this has not been a case of studios dictating policy to programmers.
"The studios are very good about not trying to design software," Paddleford said. "I've never had a studio say, 'We need an API (application programming interface) that does this.' But they do talk about, 'Well, we want to make sure that our theatrical content doesn't get played in any place but a theater.'"
For their part, studio executives say they haven't been involved in the intimate details, but are happy to see what Microsoft has done.
"The greatest problem in existing operating systems is that content is in the clear across certain interfaces," said Chris Cookson, chief technology officer for Warner Bros. "They've undertaken to improve that, which everyone was glad to see."
http://news.com.com/Hollywood%2C+Microso...html?tag=st.num
News.context
What's new:
The next version of the Windows operating system, called Vista, has unprecedented features for guarding against video piracy, as Microsoft seeks to assure Hollywood studios that their content will have extremely strong protection.
Bottom line:
The protections may come with costs, including the risk of compatibility problems between some older monitors or TVs and Vista computers, particularly when trying to play high-quality video, and difficulty doing some casual copying, such as recording Internet audio.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 12. April 2007 @ 04:27
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janrocks
Suspended permanently
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12. April 2007 @ 04:36 |
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Quote:
Computer makers have been told they'll no longer be able to get Windows XP OEM by the end of this year, despite consumer resistance to Vista and its compatibility problems.
By early 2008, Microsoft's contracts with computer makers will require companies to only sell Vista-loaded machines. "The OEM version of XP Professional goes next January," said Frank Luburic, senior ThinkPad product manager for Lenovo. "At that point, they'll have no choice."
That puts us pirate OS installers in an awesome position, Especially with lower end hardware.. we know how to turn off auto-updates, disable that damn notifier bubble, and kill WGA rubbish.. while at the same time this is forcing retailers and legal installers into a corner. Customers don't want vista? Hard luck M$.. you can't force people to buy something they don't want, no matter how hard you try.
Hands up those who remember when a computer came with no operating system whatsoever.. and you went and bought the one of your choice.
Dell have eventually seen the light (I know what we all think about current dell hardware) and will sell hardware without any software at all. The other makers need to follow suit. Their job is to make hardware.. not be M$s patsy.
M$ really need to learn that they can't treat customers like this.. We won't stand for it, and neither will the hardware makers when they see sales fall because of restrictive "lock in" contracts which force the inclusion of what is becoming seen as deliberately restrictive, performance reducing flawed by design software. Expect the "anti-vista" movement to gain ground in leaps and bounds. I smell victory over monopoly, and when I get that smell I remember what happened to all the other alternatives when M$ was pulling the "have it for free" back in the 90's.
Apple survived by being.. well just better, and now linux is at the point where it is more than just a hobby OS for geeks. It works, and you can do things.. real things with it.. Apart from the "niche market" of hardline gamers.. and that just needs some pressure on the game writers to a) up the quality of the ganes, and not rely so much on OS features like DX10, and b) to provide alternative ports.. they will have to or face going to the wall when M$ comes crashing down. One big push from the open source developers and we can topple the giant, eradicate them in the same way M$ and apple removed sco-unix and OS2 from the scene....
Talk about killing the goose that lays the golden eggs...
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 12. April 2007 @ 04:45
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12. April 2007 @ 04:54 |
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Quote:
OEM BIOS Hacks (they are real)
Apr 12, 2007 - 6:33 AM - by Digital Dave
Whoa... this can't be good.
I know many of you are aware of reports of hacks that attempt to exploit our OEM BIOS based activation. We're aware of this type of hack and I wanted to take a minute to describe how these work and how we plan to respond.
blogs.msdn.com
Quote:
Reported OEM BIOS Hacks
I know many of you are aware of reports of hacks that attempt to exploit our OEM BIOS based activation. We're aware of this type of hack and I wanted to take a minute to describe how these work and how we plan to respond.
First, what is OEM BIOS based activation?
Here's a little more information on how OEM BIOS based activation works. This form of product activation is also known as OEM Activation or just OA, which is how Microsoft refers to it and how I will refer to it in this post. Back at the launch of Windows XP when Microsoft introduced Windows Product Activation, we recognized that as easy as end-user activation is, it still represented an extra step. In an effort to reduce the impact of even that extra step but maintain the overall effectiveness of product activation, Microsoft worked with OEMs to develop an implementation that would work best for them and their customers while keeping the goals of product activation clearly in focus. As we looked to develop a solution, it was important to ensure that product activation technology could still deliver an acceptable degree of protection, while at the same time, reduce the need for an extra step by the end user. A couple of key factors stand out as enabling the OA 1.0 solution that was delivered in Windows XP.
Large OEMs tend to ship large numbers of PCs with Windows preinstalled. They also have the ability during their manufacturing processes to identify systems that will ship with Windows pre-installed.
Also, because of the direct relationship Microsoft has with those OEMS, the company has a higher degree of confidence that a genuine COA will be attached to each PC and that there will be accurate reporting of the number of units shipped preinstalled with Microsoft Windows.
These factors lead Microsoft and the major OEMs to place a marker in the BIOS of the OEM's motherboard to identify OEM systems that were to be pre-installed with licensed copies of Windows XP. This marker, which is added to a specific location in the BIOS of the motherboard, enables a copy of Windows XP to look for that known value in the BIOS of the motherboard and, when found, confirm it was booting on a PC that was sold by a specific OEM and licensed to boot Windows.
Not the first time
Over the years we've seen examples of BIOS editors that, with some work, allowed people to make an edited BIOS appear to be an OEM BIOS. In Windows XP this kind of BIOS editing wasn't as difficult as it is in Windows Vista and frankly, because there were easier ways to pirate Windows XP, I don't think much attention was ever paid to it. However, because Windows Vista can't be pirated as easily as Windows XP, it's possible that the increased pressure will result in more interest in efforts to hack the OEM Activation 2.0 implementation.
Windows Vistas OEM Hacks
There appear to be two primary variants of OA 2.0 hacks circulating. One is similar to the XP approach I described above where actual editing of the BIOS on the motherboard is done to make the motherboard appear to be from an OEM. It is a pretty labor-intensive process and quite risky. If you mess up editing the BIOS of any motherboard, you can quite easily render it permanently useless. So while this method works today, it's potentially hazardous and really doesn't scale well to large numbers of systems, which makes it less of a threat.
The second variant does not change anything in the BIOS itself, but uses a software-based approach to fool the OS into thinking it's running on OA 2.0-enabled hardware. And while this method is easier to implement for the end user, it's also easier to detect and respond to than a method that involves directly modifying the BIOS of the motherboard.
I do want to say something here about how we plan our responses. As I've said in the past, we focus on hacks that pose threats to our customers, partners and products. It's worth noting we also prioritize our responses, because not every attempt deserves the same level of response. Our goal isn't to stop every "mad scientist" that's on a mission to hack Windows. Our first goal is to disrupt the business model of organized counterfeiters and protect users from becoming unknowing victims. This means focusing on responding to hacks that are scalable and can easily be commercialized, thereby making victims out of well-intentioned customers.
http://blogs.msdn.com/wga/archive/2007/0...bios-hacks.aspx
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12. April 2007 @ 05:02 |
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MORE VISTA CRAP,MICROSUCK UP YOUR A@@
Quote:
Vista Home and Premium "Own" Your Files
Apr 12, 2007 - 6:24 AM - by Digital Dave
This is a tad disturbing.
The less expensive Home Basic and Home Premium versions make backups of older versions of your files as you create new ones -- but you can neither access them, nor delete them.
Information Week.
All Your File Are Belong To Vista
By David DeJean,
05:07 PM ET, Apr 11, 2007
Dave Methvin at PC Pitstop has an interesting -- and disturbing -- article in his company's monthly newsletter for April: Vista's slice-and-dice approach to carving its features into multiple versions has produced one presumably unintended side effect, he says: the less expensive Home Basic and Home Premium versions make backups of older versions of your files as you create new ones -- but you can neither access them, nor delete them.
Methvin is CTO of the site, which offers online and downloadable testing, diagnostics and tune-up utilities for PCs. Methvin and Rob Cheng, who's CEO of PC Pitstop, tackle Windows Vista's System Restore function in their newsletter. Cheng notes that in Vista settting restore points is producing elephantine files as big a 8GB. Methvin is on about something related.
In his article is titled "Vista Backups You Can't Have" he writes about the Previous Versions feature in Vista. System Restore has been available in previous versions of Windows, but it worked differently. Previous Versions is new.
Vista's System Restore and Previous Versions features are both driven by the Shadow Copy technology in Vista. In fact, System Restore is enabled by default, and Vista sets aside 15 percent of your hard disk for Shadow Copy to use for copies of the system files that System Restore uses, and for the backups of your data that Previous Versions creates when, for example, you replace an older version of a file with a newer one. If you want to restore one of those older versions you just right-click on the file (it works for folders, too) and choose "Restore Previous Version" to open the properties box to a "Previous Versions" tab.
All six editions of Vista (Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate) include System Restore, but Microsoft left Previous Version out of the Home editions -- to encourage us to upgrade, says Methvin. But, he says, this feature partitioning has resulted in a situation where users lose control of their own data.
In Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium, without Previous versions you can't get to backups of your documents -- there's no "Previous Versions" in the properties box. But Shadow Copy makes the backups anyway, Methvin says. They're there, on your hard drive, but you can't access them. And you can't delete them.
Methvin says he discovered this when he used Microsoft's Windows Anytime Upgrade feature to upgrade a PC from Home to Ultimate: "When we did that, the Previous Versions tab appeared and revealed changes to data files that were made before the upgrade occurred."
There's no really good fix, for it, either, according to Methvin and Cheng: There's no way to selectively add or remove a file or folder from the backup, and disabling Previous Versions also requires that you disable System Restore and delete all restore points.
Cheng outlines a workaround that lets you permanently delete things one file at a time. But this sounds a little like a security problem waiting to happen, doesn't it?
« Palm 'Surges' With Linux-Based OS | InformationWeek Weblog Home | A Hardheaded Look At The Blogger Code Of Conduct »
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main...LOSKHSCJUNN2JVN
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12. April 2007 @ 05:31 |
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New RIAA attack on US students
p2pnet.net news:- Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG's RIAA has launched another batch of blackmail 'pay us or else' letters at American students.
Ohio University, the worst hit after the opening attack, received the most letters once again.
Students, "should pool their resources and hire an attorney instead of settling," said Pat McGee, Ohio University's Center for Student Legal Services the first time around. "If everybody fought it tooth and nail it'd probably tie up the federal court system for ten years."
Here's the full run-down:
Bates College (7 pre-litigation settlement letters), Brown University (12), Central Michigan University (24), Colby College (5), College of William & Mary (12), Cornell University (19), Fairfield University (15), Florida International University (16), Indiana University (28), Keene State University (19), Kent State University (19), Morehead State University (10), Ohio University (50), Oklahoma State University (16), University of Massachusetts ? Amherst (32), University of Maryland System (25), University of Michigan ? Ann Arbor (23), University of New Hampshire (17), University of New Mexico (16), University of Pennsylvania (17), University of Rochester (22), and Williams College (9).
The RIAA has so far sent 1,218 extortion letters, and each one gives a student 20 days to decide to settle for at least $3,000 or prepare for a lawsuit, says Ohio University's The Post, which quotes RIAA spokeswoman Liz Kennedy as refusing to say if these letters referred to file sharing that occurred after the first round of letters.
Nor will this be the end of it, warns Kennedy in ths story.
"We're sending out letters on a monthly basis and ... we have not sent an end date," she declares.
"So far, the bulk of students, some 75%, according to the RIAA's own figures, are ignoring the threats and three universities have plainly told the Big Music enforcement organization they're not prepared to act as copyright cops for the labels," says a recent p2pnet post.
New York lawyer Ray Beckerman, who runs the Recording Industry vs The People blog, has a prepared a Dear RIAA guide for US schools.
It reads >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
This is an historic opportunity for you to take steps to make the RIAA's litigation campaign more of a level playing field.
The way things are:
Once the RIAA has obtained whatever "settlement" money it can squeeze from students and parents willing and able to pay the money, and to agree to the other extortionate demands in the RIAA's standard nonnegotiable form 'settlement' agreement, it will bring a "John Doe" proceeding against the others. Contrary to the spirit of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, it will do everything it possibly can, in that proceeding, ex parte. It will file the complaint without notice to anyone, and submit the ex parte discovery order application without notice to anyone. Then, once it's gotten an ex parte order signed by the judge, it will give minimal notice to you with minimal notice to your students, of an order which has already been entered.
Typically, "John Doe" will receive only a copy of a subpoena and a copy of the order with a letter from you, and will have just a few days, or at most a couple of weeks, to respond before his or her personal confidential information will be divulged. Meanwhile, if the student were to confer with a lawyer the lawyer doesn't know what to say, because he or she has no copy of the underlying summons and complaint, no copy of the papers upon which the ex parte order is based, and no copy of the judge's rules, all of which a defendant normally does receive in any normal litigation.
What you should, at a minimum, do for your students.
What you can do is insist that the RIAA stipulate with you that (a) any motion for an order granting discovery of the students' identities will be on notice, both to you and the students, rather than ex parte, (b) that the RIAA must furnish to you, for each "John Doe", a copy of the summons and complaint and exhibits, a full set of the motion papers, and a full set of all other court documents which are required to be served on the defendant when an action is initiated... for you to distribute to the affected students, before -- not after -- the motion is to be heard.
If the RIAA refuses to so stipulate, you should go to Court yourself and get an order requiring them to comply with these fundamentals which are required by due process.
What you should also do.
The courts have held that in order for a claimant to get an order for discovery of confidential names and addresses of a John Doe in a copyright infringement case, it must make a prima facie evidentiary showing, based on admissible evidence, that it has a case for copyright infringement against each "John Doe". See authorities cited in our memoranda of law:
http://www.ilrweb.com/viewILRPDF.asp?fil...-149_memooflaw*
http://www.ilrweb.com/viewILRPDF.asp?fil...-149_replymemo*
Since the RIAA has been proceeding ex parte, however, and since they haven't been challenged by the ISP's, judges have signed off on the orders even though the applications were supported by conclusory, hearsay, opinion statements of suspect reliability which would never be considered admissible in any court in the United States. (Compare the courts of the Netherlands and Canada, where the ISP's challenged the application for "John Doe" information, and the Courts refused to grant the discovery orders, due to the unreliability of the RIAA's investigative "method").
http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspo..._UPC_Nederland*
http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com/#BMG_v_Doe(Canada)*
The lack of reliability of the RIAA's "investigatory" technique is becoming more and more well documented. See, eg. the February 23, 2007, deposition of the RIAA's expert.
http://www.ilrweb.com/viewILRPDF.asp?fil...tionTranscript*
See also expert witness statement of Prof. Pouwelse and Dr. Sips:
http://www.ilrweb.com/viewILRPDF.asp?fil...essdeclaration*
and amicus curiae brief of the ACLU, Public Citizen, Electronic Frontier Foundation, American Association of Law Libraries, and ACLU Foundation of Oklahoma, in Capitol v. Foster decrying the RIAA's "driftnet" litigation strategy:
http://www.ilrweb.com/viewILRPDF.asp?fil..._foster_amicus*
Accordingly, we believe you should oppose the RIAA's application for an order of discovery.
Likewise, if you learn of the RIAA obtaining such an order ex parte, you should move to vacate the order.
Typically, the RIAA joins a number of "John Does" in a single suit, in order to save itself money, even though under the Federal Rules such joinder is clearly improper. See, e.g. In re Cases Filed by Recording Companies, W.D. Texas, Austin Division (2004) http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/RIAA_v_ThePeop...rance_order.pdf
In fact, the foregoing case specifically enjoined the RIAA to cease and desist from continuing its practice of joinder, an injunction which the RIAA has simply ignored. Opposing the RIAA's deliberate misjoinder of unrelated "John Doe" defendants is another thing you can do to assist your students and their families in achieving a more level playing field.
A third thing you can do is point out to the Court that there is no known cause of action for "making available", which is the basis of the RIAA's suits, in the Copyright Act. See Elektra v. Barker, argued January 26, 2007, and awaiting decision.
Sincerely yours,
Ray Beckerman
Stay tuned
Slashdot Slashdot it!
Also See:
Pat McGee - Ohio University and the RIAA, March 3, 2007
The Post - OU receives 50 more RIAA letters, April 11, 2007
p2pnet - Cartels boost attack on US schools, March 30, 2007
http://p2pnet.net/story/11944
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12. April 2007 @ 06:27 |
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Should You Upgrade To Vista?
by Matt Hartley on April 10, 2007 at 5:33 pm
It?s a question I hear everyday. Should (insert name here) upgrade to Vista? And to be fair, I am capable of answering this even though I use Windows from Parallels these days as I have not had a reason to return to those waters in the non-virtual sense. But I digress, let?s get back to the question at hand.
Before choosing to upgrade any OS, one must examine the motivation. My fiancee for instance, is thrilled to use her older Mac rather than upgrade. Because it is better? Not at all. Her reasons are simple - it works exactly as she needs it to. Plain and simple. So I would pose the same argument for seeing zero reason to migrate from Edgy to Feisty in my own situation. It?s not offering me new features that I need. Can you say that Vista is going to fix or better enhance your Windows experience? I am simply not convinced that for most people, it will. Having said this, there are occasions when taking the Vista plunge make sense. Here are the most common.
1. Time for a hardware upgrade. If you are a happy Windows user and happen to be ready to move onto the next level of hardware performance, then upgrading to Vista will be an automatic in most cases.
2. You are hungry for some of the new features that Vista can provide. Let?s face it, Vista is definitely more attractive than XP, be it the functionality advantages remain in the eyes of the beholder. But even with my sarcasm aside, Vista has some pretty cool stuff from a new file system search feature to the gadget?s panel. I would also make sure you familiarize yourself with the version that will best meet with your needs.
For those of you who have simply found yourselves disenfranchised with the whole Windows experience, then you may wish to consider taking on one of those new Intel Macs. If you are due for a hardware upgrade, you might as well consider it.
And finally, if you are simply not down with the OS X UI (like me), but love the stability, then maybe Ubuntu is something to consider. For most of you not familiar with the licensing differences with regard to codecs and so on, I would go a step further an point you to LinuxMint instead. This will save you with hassles when dealing with codecs, Java and Flash.
If this relates to you, I would suggest hitting the comments above if you are considering making the switch, so I can further provide you with resources that will save you a LOT of frustration. I say this working on dual-monitors, running Beryl and having made most of this possible from a GUI setup.
http://www.lockergnome.com/nexus/it/2007...grade-to-vista/
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12. April 2007 @ 06:59 |
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@ireland and janrocks,
THanks for the info!! Been reading the last couple of pages and it makes me want to try some form of LINUX even more now. :)
janrocks I may PM you if I can't figure out how to run LINUX by myself. I'm hard-headed so it may be a while. hehehe.
...gm
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12. April 2007 @ 07:10 |
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CREAKY ON HIS LAST SHOPPING TRIP
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12. April 2007 @ 07:49 |
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France's new DRM watchdog
p2pnet.net news:- France has announced a new DRM (Digital Restrictions Management) watchdog tasked with ensuring so-called copyright protection systems, "are are made compatible and do not prevent users of copyrighted work to benefit from copyright exceptions," says Nicolas Jondet on French-Law.net.
Thought to be the world's first such agency, "Already its mere introduction in French law eight months ago may have played a pivotal role in Apple's recent decision to change its DRM policy and promote DRM-free music," says Jondet, going on:
The creation of the Regulatory Authority for Technical Measures, Autorité de Régulation des Mesures Techniques (the ARMT) was one of the main features of the new French copyright law (known as the Dadvsi law ) which was passed in August.
The ARMT is the cornerstone of the law's attempt to solve problems generated by DRMs, the technology used by copyright holders to control how consumers can access and use digital content. Two concerns were raised by French lawmakers. First, DRMs are not interoperable meaning that, for example, music bought on Apple's iTunes store can only be played on Apple's iPod. Second, DRMs can prevent users from performing acts that are legally allowed, such as making copies of music or movies for private use.
The decree issued by the government on the 4th April sets up the long-awaited authority which will have to solve these issues. The dadvsi law and the decree define the missions, composition, procedure and powers of the ARMT by adding various articles to that effect in the French Intellectual Property Code (the IPC).
Will France's new DRM watchdog have teeth? And if so, will it be picked up elsewhere in the rest of Europe and the world?
Stay tuned.
Slashdot Slashdot it!
Also See:
French-Law.net - DRM watchdog established in France, April 11, 2007
http://p2pnet.net/story/11947
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12. April 2007 @ 08:18 |
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Download the Microsoft® Windows® Malicious Software Removal Tool every month...4-10-07
The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 computers for and helps remove infections by specific, prevalent malicious software?including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom. When the detection and removal process is complete, the tool displays a report describing the outcome, including which, if any, malicious software was detected and removed. The tool creates a log file named mrt.log in the %WINDIR%\debug folder.
HERE
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/detai...&displaylang=en
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12. April 2007 @ 08:26 |
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April 11, 2007 12:22 PM
Uh-Oh, Vista! PC Sales Levels Are Normal
Joe Wilcox
Joe Wilcox
Signs continue to indicate that Vista is doing little if anything to lift U.S. retail PC sales, supporting last week's Harris Interactive poll about consumer buying intentions.
This morning, I spoke with Stephen Baker, NPD's vice president of Industry Analysis, about retail PC sales. March data isn't ready for release, but Baker could discuss trends based on weekly sales data.
"Vista hasn't been a catalyst for PC sales," he said. "Looking at the weekly data, there really isn't anything happening with sales that has anything to do with Vista."
All trends are normal. "Sales are pretty typical for what they have been for the past 18 months or so," Baker continued.
If anything, sales could be slowing and quite possibly more than usual for the second quarter, which typically is the slowest sales period of the year.
"I've heard from some places that sales are slowing more than expected," Baker said. Besides collecting and analyzing data, he also speaks with retailers, which is another measure of trends. Baker said that he doesn't have inventory data, but inventory buildup would be one likely factor to watch for.
Last month, Microsoft made big hype about 20 million Vista licenses sold in one month. But license sales going into the channel almost certainly cannot equate to PC sales, because nowhere near 20 million computers were sold in February, the first month of Vista availability.
If sales are slowing, the logical question to ask: Will there be too much Vista PC inventory on stores' shelves? Those Vista licenses had to go somewhere.
US PC Shipment Estimates
A sales slowdown or even normal sales in anticipation of high volumes could squeeze retailers and PC manufacturers as they move into the summer months, when back-to-schoolers kick off the lucrative second-half-of-the-year buying season. Stock stuck on store shelves could affect PC shipments into the channel and the typical launch of new summer models.
However, Baker said it's yet too early to assess channel levels. Two big sales events?Father's Day and graduations?are still ahead.
The sales problem isn't just about retail, which typically caters to consumers and small businesses. In mid-March, Gartner predicted: "Vista is forecast to have virtually no impact on PC shipments to larger businesses in 2007."
In a research note issued yesterday, Goldman Sachs analyst Sarah Friar expressed some concern about the Office 2007 and Vista launches.
"Normally, this would make us look at the stock as a definitive must-own," she wrote. "These launches also potentially mark the end of an era, and changing technology and business models in areas such as Software-as-a-Service, virtualization, and open source seek to diminish Microsoft's stranglehold on the desktop, which in turn significantly depletes the company's cash cow. Vista may be the last big operating system developed by the company."
Friar laid out a compelling argument for why most consumers will buy Vista PCs rather than upgrading existing computers. Using the PC average selling price of $773 and $159 Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade price, she calculated the operating system to be 21 percent of the computer's cost. Other factors, like Vista's increased hardware requirements, also would be deterrents to off-the-shelf software upgrades.
Friar's conclusion: "Most users will migrate to Windows Vista by purchasing a new machine rather than upgrading old machines."
Looking ahead, Baker expects retail PC sales trends to remain what they have been: huge year-over-year sales increases for notebooks and nominal gains or decreases for desktop.
"There isn't a buying frenzy anymore, like Windows 95, because the stuff is like dishwashers, coffee makers and chocolate pudding," Baker said. "You only get it when you need it. Tech is demystified."
Related Posts:
* Consumer Inertia Holds Back Vista, Microsoft Watch, April 5, 2007
* The Trouble with Windows Vista Capable, Microsoft Watch, April 4, 2007
* The 20 Million License Test, Microsoft Watch, March 26, 2007
* Stacking Vista Licenses Too High, Microsoft Watch, March 26, 2007
* Vista Missed Its Cue?Now What?, Microsoft Watch, March 23, 2007
* Vista Launch Sales Falter at Retail, Microsoft Watch, Feb. 15, 2007
* Vista Sales Lift: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Microsoft Watch, Feb. 12, 2007
* Channel Cleaned House for Vista, Microsoft Watch, Feb. 9, 2007
* Early Vista Sales Don't Tell the Whole Story, Microsoft Watch, Jan. 12, 2007
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/v...2129TX1K0000535
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12. April 2007 @ 08:36 |
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Patch Tuesday: Security or PR?
Joe Wilcox
Joe Wilcox
Microsoft's second release of patches?making three, counting last week's update to the update?gives new meaning to the phrase "security by PR." Microsoft could have and should have disclosed the number of critical flaws and warned about the patch for Vista, which IT organizations are testing or deploying.
The phrase refers to putting the interests of public relations ahead of security. That's not saying Microsoft diminishes its security efforts, just that PR's role?the positioning?is more important in the communications process.
Today's regularly scheduled release of patches is another example of security PR spin.
Last Thursday's advance notice gave no indication that there would be four "critical" vulnerabilities and one "important" addressed in today's security bulletin. Microsoft typically issues a notice the Thursday before the regularly scheduled patch release on the second Tuesday of the month.
At best, based on a post on Microsoft's Security Response Center Blog, end users or IT managers might have inferred as many as two critical flaws. The post discussed four patches for Windows and another for Content Management Center: "The highest Maximum Severity rating for these is critical."
Given that Microsoft had already issued one unscheduled critical patch, clear notification of more could have benefited IT organizations' planning, particularly around deployment testing. By giving limited information, Microsoft diminished the critical significance of the second round of patches.
If Microsoft is going to identify one or two patches as critical, why not all? Other than PR, there is seemingly no good reason to withhold information that could be highly beneficial to customers. Sure, Microsoft could have chosen to give no advance notice at all about the Tuesday patches. But that's no excuse, because the company already made the decision to notify customers. If the decision is made, what reason is there to give out limited information? There is going far and then there's going far enough.
More "security by PR" behavior: In keeping with what has been Microsoft's practice for some time, each security notice covers vulnerabilities affecting multiple products. In the case of MS07-021, nine iterations of Windows client or server products, including Windows Vista, are affected.
A company with a "security by PR" approach diminishes the extent of problems?or at least doesn't emphasize them?when issuing alerts. A "security to solve problems" approach would involve clearly explaining the full breadth and number of flaws.
In a text chat on April 15, 2004, Mike Nash, then with Microsoft's security group, answered a question about my "security by PR" allegations. He responded:
"There are really two key things here. One, we really wanted to focus on quality of these updates. One of the issues we face is that as we look at various patches, we have the need to test all of the combinations. By moving things into a single patch, we have the ability to have more in depth testing, to deliver a higher quality set of updates. The second issue is that many customers told us that they wanted a smaller number of patches to reduce the number of times that people need to touch their machines. There is no intent to do anything funny with the numbers. We are pretty clear on the number of issues fixed in each bulletin. Our focus here is helping people to have an easier time with the process of updating, so we are 100-percent focused on that."
His answer isn't really what's going on. Microsoft doesn't just move "things into a single patch." Microsoft moves multiple patches into single security bulletins, diminishing the apparent number of overall vulnerabilities.
Again, using MS07-021 as example, three separate security vulnerabilities are included, consolidated as Nash indicated. But there are also separate patches for each product, as in the cases of Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista. One could argue that the actual number of vulnerabilities patched is three times nine, however. The consolidation of vulnerabilities and patches into one security bulletin greatly diminishes the total number. Being generous to Microsoft, one security bulletin covers nine patches. But going by the number of products and patched vulnerabilities IT organizations must test for, the number looks more like three for each of nine products.
Last month's rosy report on Vista security vulnerabilities is another example of the security by PR effort. The report claimed five Vista vulnerabilities in the product's first 90 days of release. But the real release, January 30 for the masses, was two months later than the report's start date. The longer Vista is in the market, the more vulnerabilities appear.
The Department of Homeland Security National Vulnerability Database has issued 16 alerts affecting Vista since March 17. The real number of vulnerabilities looks more like eight, when sifting out duplicates, and most affect other Microsoft operating systems as well as Vista.
To date, Microsoft has issued two bulletins, MS07-021 (released today) and MS07-017 (released April 3), with patches for Vista.
It's understandable that security is a sore spot with Microsoft, in part because vulnerabilities tarnish the Windows brand. But Microsoft's core customers, at least from a revenue perspective, are businesses. They need to feel confidence that Microsoft is doing all it can to battle security problems. Microsoft isn't the only target for criminals, but it's the biggest one, because of the market dominance of Office and Windows.
Microsoft needs to disclose more and do so more quickly, and in doing so build customer confidence in the security efforts.
Last week's Security Response Center Blog ANI patch post is good example of transparency giving way to security by PR. Microsoft took about four months to develop and test the ANI patch before releasing. At first read, Mike Reavy's post is disclosure about the process. But the post is more security PR spin, more justifying?diminishing, really?the lengthy process. Microsoft should have taken the PR bullet by informing customers sooner rather than after the fact.
Related Posts:
* Security at the Forefront, Microsoft Watch, April 9, 2007
* Microsoft to Post Critical Flaw on Patch Tuesday, Security Watch, April 5, 2007
* ANI Patch: The Day After, Microsoft Watch, April 4, 2007
* Microsoft Sees Double (Security Tuesdays), Microsoft Watch, April 3, 2007
* Vista Security by the Numbers, Microsoft Watch, March 26, 2007
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/s...ut%20the%20patc
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