Profile of Gregg Keizer
News & Commentary Posts: 1659
Articles by Gregg Keizer
posted in May 2006
5/31/2006
Because of the VoIP provider's recent security issues, Gartner is repeating its earlier advice that enterprises stay away from Skype entirely.
5/31/2006
A Vista edition of Trend's PC-cillin anti-virus program is immediately available for download.
5/31/2006
A virus that targets StarOffice and OpenOffice is out and about, multiple security companies said Wednesday.
5/30/2006
McAfee is planning a summer launch for a multi-edition set of security subscriptions, while Symantec says it will release a beta version of its contender this summer, with the final release slated for March 2007.
5/30/2006
A pair of Trojans posing as Microsoft patches or updates is on the loose, security firms said Tuesday.
5/30/2006
A stack overflow in several products, including its anti-virus family, was fully patched as of Sunday, according to an updated advisory on Symantec's Web site.
5/30/2006
Additions include a built-in anti-phishing feature and suggestions for searches run in Google and Yahoo.
5/30/2006
The new moniker will denote Vista-only features in that operating system's browser, including protected mode, parental controls, and better network diagnostics--all of which are missing from the Windows XP version.
5/26/2006
The security vendor says its enterprise anti-virus product line has an unpatched, "zero-day" vulnerability that can be used by attackers to hijack systems.
5/26/2006
The agency admitted it doesn't know if that practice had been approved by the employee's superiors.
5/26/2006
According to version 5.22's release notes posted to the Nullsoft site, the update fixes 26 flaws in the music player.
5/26/2006
The new version will sell for $679 in retail channels and include all the applications scheduled to ship within Office Enterprise 2007, the top-end corporation version to be available only to volume license customers.
5/26/2006
The school was hit by hackers, and one local TV station reported that 135,000 notification letters had been sent to current students, prospective students, alumni, and staff members.
5/25/2006
The vulnerability being warned about by Symantec is fixed by MS05-011, a security update released almost 16 months ago, Microsoft says.
5/25/2006
The two hacked into MySpace.com and allegedly threatened to release new exploit code unless MySpace came up with $150,000.
5/25/2006
A 300-page product guide can be downloaded in either Word format or the original XML Paper Specification format, which Microsoft touts as a replacement for Adobe's popular PDF.
5/25/2006
The exploit, which gives an attacker full access to a PC, leverages a flaw in the operating system's kernel that can be triggered through the Server Message Block protocol.
5/24/2006
The government is at least a decade behind the private sector in data security, says a Gartner research VP.
5/24/2006
Fewer than a fifth of adults surveyed believe existing
laws can protect them from fraud, identity theft, and other crimes on the Internet, and over two-thirds want Congress to pass strong data protection legislation.
5/24/2006
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the company isn't really
committed to a widespread January rollout for consumers, as other company executives said two months ago.
5/24/2006
Police arrested more than 560 people in the past 15 months in "Operation Global Con," charging them with bilking nearly 3 million people out of more than $1 billion in schemes including bogus investments, fake lotteries and sweepstakes, and phony credit cards.
5/23/2006
Dubbed "Scandoo," the service lets users search using either Google's or MSN's engine. As results are displayed, Scandoo posts color-coded icons to note safe, questionable, and hazardous sites before they're clicked.
5/23/2006
The unsanctioned script modifies the Windows registry so that Word runs in a restricted mode, making it immune to the current crop of exploits.
5/23/2006
Still on the table for Microsoft: a $34 million fine and a demand to build two new editions of Windows. Microsoft says it will keep fighting.
5/23/2006
According to the Business Software Alliance, 35 percent of all software installed on PCs globally in 2005 was bogus.
5/23/2006
The hybrid e-mail and file-sharing app lets users send large files--up to 1 Gbyte's worth--that would otherwise be blocked by most ISPs' mail systems.
5/22/2006
The Microsoft Word bug first surfaced last week, when numerous security companies said an active exploit was using an unpatched vulnerability in Word 2003 and Word XP to drop a backdoor Trojan onto a limited number of PCs.
5/22/2006
A worm running through Yahoo's instant messaging network is installing a browser of its own--a first for IM malware. The browser leads users to adware and spyware sites, several security firms said Monday.
5/22/2006
Identity data on more than 26 million U.S. veterans and spouses has been stolen, the Department of Veterans Affairs says.
5/22/2006
Microsoft's chief executive said Monday that the lawsuit filed last week by Symantec won't delay Windows Vista from launching later this year and early in 2007.
5/19/2006
For some added perspective on Windows Vista's minimum hardware specs, here's a look at Microsoft's stated requirements, along with hardware prices, for each major Windows release since 1990's Windows 3.0.
5/19/2006
Almost three-quarters of U.S. adults monitor their bank and credit card accounts for suspicious activity, as well as shred mail that contains their account numbers.
5/19/2006
Skype pushed out a patch for a vulnerability that can let attackers gain access to a target computer and its data.
5/19/2006
Hackers are exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in Word, hoping to hijack PCs.
5/18/2006
A new section of the Vista Web site, dubbed "Get Ready," outlines two programs that spell out what it will take to really run the new operating system.
5/18/2006
The federal judge approved a two-year extension of the Microsoft antitrust agreement, but not before grilling government attorneys.
5/18/2006
The Department of Justice has filed a dozen money-laundering charges against the fugitive owners of an online gambling Web site.
5/17/2006
The anti-spam venture embroiled in a denial-of-service attack that brought down millions of blogs two weeks ago has closed shop. One observer wonders why Blue Security wasn't better prepared.
5/17/2006
Although Apple said the update was to System Management Control firmware, it was up to MacBook Pro users to figure out that SMC is the specialized controller that manages thermal and power conditions and is in charge of running the portable computer's fans.
5/17/2006
If possible, network shares should be disabled and the latest patches should be deployed, the company's alert says.
5/17/2006
Online payments are poised to replace paper checks as the main means Americans pay their bills, a survey released Wednesday said.
5/17/2006
Microsoft has posted a Windows XP patch to fix a power drain problem for notebooks running Intel's Core Duo processor.
5/16/2006
Microsoft may be as much as 18 to 24 months behind the major security companies in functionality, but analysts say its entry into the security space clearly has some of those vendors worried.
5/16/2006
Apple introduces three MacBooks replacing the aged PowerPC-based iBook and completes the transition to Intel processors for its portables.
5/16/2006
The campaign will tour a dozen U.S. cities to show consumers how to steer clear of spyware, phishing attacks, and other Web threats.
5/16/2006
Only 6% of at-work surfers who wind up at adult sites say it was intentional, a new Harris Interactive survey says.
5/15/2006
Changes in the new version include close buttons on all tabs and a plug-in manager to more easily add and remove engines from the search box.
5/15/2006
Federal investigators have closed the case on a complaint filed earlier this year about Vista's "first boot" process, saying Microsoft allows OEMs to customize the operating system and to promote third-party middleware.
5/15/2006
The feature will be accessible from Word 2007's File/Publish menu and support direct posting of blog entries in Beta 2 to Microsoft's MSN Spaces and SharePoint 2007.
5/14/2006
A Justice Department report said that although IE7 may default to MSN's search service in some cases, the feature doesn't violate the terms of Microsoft's antitrust agreement with federal and state governments.
5/12/2006
Sites that pay for sponsored links are nearly three times more likely to harbor spyware or adware, or hassle visitors with spam, than URLs generated by the engine's algorithms, according to research.
5/12/2006
Many of the flaws could allow an attacker to execute code on a compromised Mac.
5/12/2006
The university formed a security SWAT team to both inform potential victims and take "aggressive steps to improve the security of data and IT resources on all Ohio University campuses," the college said.
5/12/2006
An overwhelming majority of Americans want guarantees that banks won't sell their personal data online and assurances that their data will be protected from hackers.
5/11/2006
A new study counts direct sales' contribution to the gross national product, as well as ancillary services including a portion of high-definition television sets and part of broadband Internet revenues.
5/11/2006
ContextPlus, which spread spyware and adware, including software that hijacked searches and programs that leveled systems with pop-up ads, has posted a message on its Web site saying it's out of the business.
5/11/2006
Symantec isn't sure if the Immunity exploit against the Exchange calendar targets the same vulnerability that Microsoft already patched, or if it's an attack against a new zero-day bug.
5/11/2006
Some observers wonder if Microsoft's patch of Adobe Flash Player augers the company's permanent move to be more accountable for the security of bundled, partnered products in Windows.
5/10/2006
Microsoft's unusual step of feeding an updated edition of Flash Player to some Windows users has resulted in complaints on the Windows Update newsgroup.
5/10/2006
Security experts are warning users to brace themselves for the imminent arrival of a worm that could wreak havoc with Microsoft Exchange, thanks to a bug in the program.
5/10/2006
Named the worst worm of 2004 by some anti-virus firms, the Netsky worm is still the No. 1 reported virus in the world, according to Sophos. Its 18-year-old creator, meanwhile, got off lightly with a suspended sentence and 30 hours of community service.
5/10/2006
A pair of updates released Tuesday refreshes Outlook 2003's anti-spam filter and fixes a flaw in OneNote 2003.
5/9/2006
In the usual array of Tuesday patches was one for a third-party product, Adobe's Flash Player.
5/9/2006
A university study found that female usernames received more attention, and the nature of the messages was often meaner.
5/9/2006
The U.S. District Attorney in Los Angeles touted the sentence as "the longest-known sentence for a defendant who spread computer viruses."
5/9/2006
Microsoft released Arabic, Finnish, Japanese, and German versions of its still-under-development IE7 Beta 2 browser.
5/9/2006
Also, around 40% of those who call themselves gamers play at least three to four hours a week, a new survey says.
5/5/2006
Metrodate, like a previous merchant, charges Yahoo and its partners with using spyware to distribute ads and forcing merchants to pay for it.
5/5/2006
In another twist to this tale of denial-of-service attacks, spammers, and anti-spam security, the CEO of one security firm staunchly defends his company.
5/5/2006
BearShare, one of seven file-sharing sites threatened last fall by the Recording Industry Association of America, agrees to pay $30 million to avoid piracy lawsuits and will cease its business operations.
5/5/2006
Two of the trio affect Windows, while the third will resolve one or more issues in the Microsoft Exchange mail server software.
5/5/2006
McAfee released a report claiming a huge increase in Apple vulnerabilities, and then followed that up with an anti-virus product for Intel-based Macs.
5/4/2006
The problem, a Gartner analyst says, is the shrinking window between the time Vista is unveiled and Windows 2000 paid support ends.
5/4/2006
Users were duped into thinking they needed software being sold by "Spam King" Sanford Wallace because he exploited an Internet Explorer vulnerability to install real spyware on their PCs.
5/4/2006
The worm, one of the first major malware attacks, caused an estimated $7 billion to $10 billion in damages worldwide.
5/3/2006
This is the second 12-hour disruption for the blog hosting firm since December. Back then, Six Apart let customers pick the compensation for the outage, but there are no such plans this time around.
5/3/2006
One university administrator found that complying with Windows' new anti-counterfeit measures meant he had to open up the security reins on PCs in public places like campus computer labs.
5/3/2006
Microsoft confirmed Wednesday that it will offer free replacement copies of its Office application suite for people whose versions were tagged as counterfeit--if they can prove they bought the bundle with the best intentions.
5/2/2006
Attackers hope to take over users' accounts, then make money by selling the players' in-game goods, such as weapons.
5/2/2006
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer tries to rally the company's employees in an email that defends the company's investment strategy -- and that mentions Google by name as the driving force behind projects such as its nascent online-advertising network.
5/2/2006
A new worm spreads via instant messaging, plants a bot on hijacked PCs--and does it all in a way that's difficult, if not impossible, to track.
5/2/2006
Apple Computer Inc. on Tuesday said it had renewed contracts with the four largest music labels, a move that will likely keep prices on its iTunes Music Store at $.99.
5/1/2006
The Phish Report Network is being reactivated to provide a vetted, dynamically updated database of fraudulent Web sites. This time around, though, Microsoft isn't participating.
5/1/2006
The bugs range in age from 12 days to two-and-a-half years,
says a German security researcher, adding that Oracle plans to fix them, but won't say when.
5/1/2006
Blizzard Entertainment said it will fix its authentication servers to take care of availability problems and slowdowns.
5/1/2006
The next generation of spam-sending zombies would scan E-mail in the user's inbox, mine it for information and writing patterns, then crank out realistic-looking replies to real messages, researchers warn.
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