Report: Major Windows security update foiled
A Russian security company claims it found a way to beat a security measure in Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 2, a major update aimed at securing customers' PCs.
The SP2 measure, known as Data Execution Protection, is intended to prevent would-be attackers from inserting rogue code into a PC's memory and tricking Windows into running the program. However, in a paper published Friday, Moscow-based Positive Technologies said two minor mistakes in the implementation of the technology allow a knowledgeable programmer to sidestep the protection. The company notified Microsoft of the problem Dec. 22, but it apparently decided not to wait for the software giant to patch the flaws.
Neither Microsoft nor Positive Technologies immediately responded to requests for comment Friday.
