Microsoft Preps Emergency Security Patch for Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Microsoft Preps Emergency Patch

10.23.08

by Larry Seltzer

At 10 AM Pacific Time today Microsoft will release an emergency security advisory bulletin for Windows. The details of the vulnerability, and presumably a patch to accompany it, were not revealed in the Advance Notification Bulletin that Microsoft released last night.

The vulnerability can be assumed to be a significant one for Microsoft to go "out of band" and release it before the next scheduled Patch Tuesday, 2 1/2 weeks from now. Out of band updates have been rare since Microsoft instituted the regular Patch Tuesday schedule.

The Advance Notification states that the vulnerability affects Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 and is Critical for them. It also affects Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, but is rated Important for those operating systems.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2333177,00.asp

[CatholicEdHead]

1. I am guessing UAC may be on reason Vista is just "important"

[Captiosus]

8. I'll still take the Hardware Abstraction Layer over UAC, any day.

UAC is a sham.

It took away the only thing that insulates hardware from software and put it solely in the hands of the user. It took away the unified architecture and replaced it with more memory consuming software processes. It took away legacy hardware compatibility.

Gimme HAL or gimme de.. well, maybe I won't go THAT far.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. You know, I might have already gotten this...

I was just signing on this morning, doing my normal things, when all of a sudden my computer said the update was finished and did I want to reboot my computer now, or later?

I hadn't even been aware that an update was in progress...

The only thing that makes me wonder is that it wasn't at 10AM...

So, did I get it or not?

:shrug:

[EFerrari]

4. Last night, I got an advisory to update my security stuff

and fifteen minutes later, the machine told me I had a trojan and nothing worked, Office kept trying to install.

On a back up machine now but, is it just me or is it a little suspicious that within fifteen minutes of PCTools trying to sell me their product, my machine is infected? :shrug:

[meegbear]

3. I ran Microsoft Update and got ...

Security Update for Windows XP (KB958644)
Date last published: 10/23/2008
Download size: 633 KB

A security issue has been identified that could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to compromise your Microsoft Windows-based system and gain control over it. You can help protect your computer by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

System Requirements
Recommended CPU: Not specified.
Recommended memory: Not specified.
Recommended hard disk space: Not specified.

How to Uninstall
This software update can be removed via Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.

Get help and support
http://support.microsoft.com

More information
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=130719

[rocktivity]

5. Is that why I've been having so much trouble texting from online?

Not to be goofing around--it's how I dispatch x-ray techs for a living.

:think:
rocknation

[Phred42]

6. Or is this a better back-door for the NSA?

[PJPhreak]

7. I love my

Linux OS!!