Posted 04/30/09 at 05:32:27 PM by Andy Salisbury

At long last, Microsoft has confirmed that Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 is complete, by releasing it to select manufacturers. It even hit torrents, hours before it was officially announced on the Windows Vista Team Blog.

As for an official download, it’s not clear when Service Pack 2 will be available. They’ve stated that they will push the final version to customers through Automatic Update over the next few months, but those that aren’t ready can still use Microsoft’s service-pack blocking tool.

Along with this, Microsoft has started pushing Vista SP1 to users that had previously blocked it, in order to prime them for SP2.

For those wondering, Service Pack 2 will bring Windows Search 4.0, the Bluetooth 2.1 Feature Pack, the ability to record data on Blu-ray natively through Windows, Windows Connect Now (a simpler WiFi tool), the addition of support for UTC timestamps in the exFAT file system, as well as various security and performance updates.

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Posted 04/09/09 at 06:20:42 PM by Mark Edward Soper

If you've been worrying about computer security for awhile, you might remember when macro viruses in Microsoft Word and Excel files were at the top of the exploit list. These file formats, along with the omnipresent Adobe Reader PDF format, are once again among the biggest threat vectors being exploited by today's malware, according to a new report from the Microsoft Malware Protection Center. Fittingly, the full report and a condensed key findings version are available in either PDF or Microsoft's own XPS formats. These reports cover the July-December 2008 period.

Some key findings include:

• Scareware (which Microsoft calls "rogue security software") is on the rise, including the latest versions of our old friend  Antivirus XP.
• A slight reduction in unique vulnerability disclosures from 2007, but the High (most serious) category was larger in the second half of 2008 than in the first half of the year or the second half of 2007.
• Applications continue to be the biggest target (86.7%, with browsers at 8.8%, and operating systems at only 4.5%)

Join us after the jump for more highlights.

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Posted 07/17/08 at 07:29:26 PM by Mark Edward Soper

In a recent Handler's Diary entry on the SANS Internet Storm Center website, Lorna Hutchison points out that the survival time for unpatched systems is currently around 4 minutes. In other words, if you connect an unpatched system to the Internet without a router or firewall, it will probably be infected in about 4 minutes.

Whether you work in a large enterprise, small business, or are the network guru to your own home's PCs, the pressure to connect a new system right now can be overwhelming. To find out how you can head off trouble by hardening a new (or reloaded) system before it gets its first whiff of the Internet, join us after the jump.

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Posted 06/06/08 at 01:52:49 PM by Mark Soper

It's that time of month again, so here's a sneak preview of what Redmond will be patching come June 10th, as well as updates for Vista Media Center, Windows XP users with AMD processors, and others.

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Posted 05/19/08 at 08:21:47 PM by Mark Soper

All is not smooth sailing for users updating to Windows XP Service Pack 3. Don't despair. We have solutions for the latest woes.

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Posted 05/12/08 at 05:56:11 PM by Mark Soper

If you (or someone you love or work with) is suffering through an SP3 upgrade, take two aspirin and click these solutions.

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Posted 05/08/08 at 03:01:45 PM by Mark Soper

Windows Update is supposed to be the easiest way to get Windows XP SP3 on your system. Here's what to do when WU leaves you empty-handed.

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Posted 04/29/08 at 07:40:02 AM by Mark Soper

It's been a long, looong wait for Service Pack 3, but the waiting's over (but not officially). Here's what happened (and didn't happen) today.

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