Microsoft & Vista

Despite my best efforts to have current backups of my MySQL databases, I’m going through some data loss hell thanks to the ineptitude of my Web host.
Why is it so many people have problems with MySQL hosting and data loss? It seems like it plagues every single Web Host and everyone who has Web sites […]

Only 30% of people that bought the Zune like it, reports MacWorld.
Microsoft recently confirmed it has sold just over a million Zunes - but recent research says most Zune owners rue the day they ever dipped into their pocket to pick one up, with 70 per cent of Zune owners planning to ditch the device […]

Exploit code for a vulnerability that uses Microsoft Internet Explorer to send malicious input to the Trillian instant messenger client is circulating.
The public exploit code demonstrates a vulnerability in the AIM URI handler. For this vulnerability, an attacker must trick a user who has the Trillian Instant Messaging client and possibly others installed to […]

PCPro has reported that BitDefender has learned that tens of thousands of Yahoo and Hotmail users accounts have been hijacked to send spam messages.
The malware not only generates new webmail accounts automatically but has also found a way around the anti-spam CAPTCHA system, which requires people to enter the letters depicted in an image.
The trojan […]

There is a new zero day exploit for Internet Explorer circulating but it requires that you have previously installed Firefox for it to work on a system.
The exploit code demonstrates the vulnerability using the Mozilla Firefox firefoxurl:// URL protocol. To trigger this vulnerability, an attacker must persuade a user who has previously installed Firefox or […]

Microsoft has posted their July Security Bulletin Advance Notification. July will contain six updates, with three marked at the maximum security of Critical.
The Critical patches are for Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office/Microsoft Excel and .Net Framework. Two Important updates for Microsoft Office Publisher and Windows XP Professional and a Moderate update for Microsoft Windows Vista will […]

An exploit in Microsoft Windows Update is allowing malicious hackers to use it to download additional viruses and trojan components on a computer that has already been infected.
The service being used bypasses firewalls and other security checks allowing the hacker to download and possibly even install rootkits and keyloggers without detection.
It has been reported that […]

eWeek’s David Morgenstern had an interesting take on the state of the security of the Windows OS and Mac OS and why the Mac OS has many less security flaws than windows. He even went as far to say, “The Mac platform is more secure than Windows and will continue to be so.”
As part of […]

Is it possible that my friend Chris Pirillo is finally admitting to himself that a move to Apple shouldn’t be out of the question?
Chris has been ranting about his problems with Vistafor weeks now. He has also been complaining about the state of Windows programs on a daily basis. But he resists whenever I or […]

SANS is warning of a fake Microsoft Security Bulletin that is making the rounds by email.
The email claims to come from Microsoft and includes a link to what is supposed to be a patch for the issue however it is actually a malicious browser add-on (BHO.)
Always remember that you shouldn’t click on links or […]

Microsoft has released their June Security Bulletin Advance Notification today. The June release cycle will contain six updates, four of which were rated a maximum severity rating of Critical.
The four Critical bulletins are for Windows, Internet Explorer, and Outlook Express. There will also be two non-critical bulletins for Visio and Windows as well […]

If you been thinking about making the move to Vista because of safety improvements, think again. Computer World published a report last month that Malware will thrive on the operating system.
“Malware technology will evolve just like a business,” says Vlad Gorelik, chief technology officer at Sana Security. “There are definitely improved protections [in Vista] with […]

Apple’s MacBook and MacBook Pro notebook sales are making the PC notebook vendors very jealous and some are even panicking.
New research from NPD Group indicates that PC unit growth in April of 2007 rose 14 percent year-over-year, while notebook sales grew even faster — rising 30 percent over the same period. Apple, however still […]

A known flaw in Microsoft Internet Explorer’s handling of iframes allows the Gozi Trojan to sneak in systems and thanks to new packing messages it can evade detection from some anti-virus and anti-malware programs.
Gozi installs a keylogger and grabs sensitive data including bank account and credit card numbers, user names, passwords and Social Security numbers […]

I’ve had my first Mac for just about a month now and I’m absolutely not missing Microsoft Windows in the slightest. However, I am missing some applications that are native to Windows.
I’m using the following programs in Parallels Desktop for Mac but I wish there were native Mac OS X versions of them so […]

Sophos has identified a new worm that targets removable drives such as USB flash drives, memory cards, and USB hard drives.
The SillyFD-AA worm searches for removable drives such as floppy disks and USB memory sticks and creates a hidden file called autorun.inf so that a copy of the worm runs the next time the device […]

Another day and it’s another Windows Exploit… Trojan.Kardphisher very cleverly appears to look just like Windows activation screens and claims to be a privacy check for Windows.
When run it will prompt you to enter your personal information and a credit card number, even your ATM pin number!

This trojan demonstrates how careful you have to […]

Rootkits use nasty tactics to hide malware such as viruses, worms, spyware, and adware from detection by anti-virus programs. If that’s not bad enough, they can be very difficult to locate and remove and you may never be completely sure you’ve completely removed them.
Nearly all rootkits “in the wild” are only for Windows XP […]

VBootkit is a rootkit that loads from Windows Vista boot-sectors. It can even be placed inside the BIOS to bypass Vista’s product activation and avoid DRM.
When it’s authors, Nitin & Vipin, were asked what Vbootkit is they responded:
A bootkit is a rootkit that is able to load from a boot-sectors (master boot record, CD , […]

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is asking if Windows Vista is following the steps of Windows Me. Many articles already made the connection already.
When Windows Me was released by Microsoft back in 2000 it was a total debacle. The operating system offered the consumer very little in the way of new technology (a new interface that looked […]