Hackers uncover 'biggest Microsoft vulnerability' ~ By Rhys Blakely from TimesOnline.co.uk


Computer hackers are targeting a flaw in Microsoft’s Windows operating system that has placed hundreds of millions of PCs at risk of infection from dangerous "spyware" programs used by criminal gangs to steal people’s identities.


The flaw in the software, which is used by 90 per cent of the world’s computers, allows PCs to be infected by programs maliciously embedded into seemingly harmless image files. It was first discovered last week, but Microsoft is yet to release a protective "patch" to guard against the danger.


"The … vulnerability probably affects more computers than any other security vulnerability, ever," Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure, said on the web-security company’s weblog. Most attacks require a victim to download an infected file. But the newly discovered flaw, which dates back at least a decade, makes it possible for a PC to be hit simply by a user browsing a web page or opening an e-mail that contains an infected image.


Patrick Runald, a senior anti-virus consultant with F-Secure, told Times Online: "Unlike other threats, which tend to target specific versions of software, this affects all versions of Windows from the past 10 years or so - that means hundreds of millions of machines. We are now seeing lots of activity among virus writers looking to exploit this flaw." According to Mr Runald, hackers exploiting the vulnerability have so far focused on using it to install secret "spyware" and "back doors" on victims' PCs. That suggests that criminal gangs are mainly responsible rather than trouble-makers who prefer mass e-mail campaigns to spread viruses as far as possible.


The underlying "source code", which maps out how to exploit the weakness, has now been published on the net by hackers. Microsoft has confirmed that the flaw has been actively exploited and said it was working "with our anti-virus partners and aiding law enforcement" to tackle the problem. The incident is especially embarassing since it also affects the test - or "beta" -version of Vista - the latest version of Windows that is due to be released later this year. Bill Gates, Microsoft's founder, has heavily promoted Vista's improved security.


Donal Casey, a consultant for Morse, the internet security company, said: "Vista had been marketed as the secure version of Windows, but obviously it is not. Microsoft is covered because the final version hasn't been released, which will allow them to do a bit more thinking." In the absence of a patch, Microsoft has urged PC users to follow its standard advice and "exercise caution when they open e-mail and links in e-mail from untrusted sources." It added: "While we have not encountered any situation in which simply opening an e-mail can result in attack, clicking on a link in an e-mail could result in navigation to a malicious site." Microsoft's statement can be found here. According to F-Secure, more than 100 different versions of malicious WMF (or Windows metafile) have emerged so far.


This week WMF exploits have been spread in e-mails wishing people "Happy New Year" and by messages purporting to be from American security agencies. Earlier this month, vnu.com reported how in 2005 international criminal gangs had supplanted teenage bedroom hackers as the most prolific virus creators. "Nowadays . According to the F-Secure website, Internet Explorer users are at the greatest risk of automatic infection "while Firefox and Opera browser users are prompted with a question whether they’d like to open the WMF image or not. They get infected too if they answer ‘Yes’."

December 13, 2005 Microsoft Patch Disclosure - December 2005

Microsoft issued two patches today for December's updates, one correcting a kernel vulnerability and the other pertaining to multiple Internet Explorer vulnerabilities.

Have you updated your Google Desktop software to remove the threat posed by the still unpatched Microsoft IE vulnerability? Follow this link for more information - Google Desktop Tweaked to Avoid IE Flaw ~ By Ryan Naraine, December 6, 2005

Every day, thousands of people are fooled by email from criminals trying to steal their identities or infect and take over their computers (Harmful Email Subjects to Avoid). This article will help you avoid being a victim. The attacks listed here are the tip of the iceberg. Never open email attachments from people you don't know, and be very careful even if you do know the person; especially if you aren't expecting an attachment.  Also, don't click on links in emails unless you can guarantee the email came from someone who is not trying to fool you. It is usually our curiosity and impatience that assists new worms to propagate around the internet.  Again, programs like Panda Antivirus, Kaspersky Anti-Virus and  ZoneAlarm Pro 5.0 provide a very good level of protection against email worms (again, please make sure virus signatures are automatically updated as frequently as the program allows).