Microsoft

About 40 different Windows applications contain a critical flaw that can be used by attackers to hijack PCs and infect them with malware, a security researcher said Wednesday.

The bug was patched by Apple in its iTunes software for Windows four months ago, but remains in more than three dozen other Windows programs, said HD Moore, the chief security officer of Rapid7 and creator of the open-source Metasploit penetration testing toolkit. Moore did not reveal the names of the vulnerable applications or their makers, however.

Last year at this time, Microsoft was in the final stages of preparing Windows 7 for its worldwide launch. The new OS was finally available to the public—well, at least that segment of the public with a TechNet or MSDN subscription. Those early adopters had to wait a few weeks after the official release to manufacturing date but still got a head start on the general public.

Those demanding and skeptical Windows users have now had a full year to stress-test Windows 7 and decide whether it’s good enough to replace Windows XP.

Age of Empires Online and Flight will join Fable 3 as Microsoft attempts to breathe life into Games for Windows Live.

Ever since it launched the Xbox, Microsoft has had a fickle relationship with Windows as a gaming platform. On one hand PC gaming is a major driver of hardware and operating system sales, but on the other hand the PC is inherently less secure than the Xbox console, with piracy much more likely to impact sales of a PC title than a console one.

Speaking at the USENIX conference, which ended last week, developer Marsh Ray highlighted an old and known flaw that continues to be underestimated in the Windows world: authentication mechanisms involving NTLMv2 are often insecure. Attackers can potentially intercept the credentials transmitted during log-in and misuse them to log into the servers themselves – without knowing the password. The attackers exploit a weakness in NTLMv2, a protocol which is vulnerable to "replay" and "reflection" attacks although it does transmit the data itself in a secure encrypted form.

Microsoft issued a record number of monthly patches on Tuesday, including fixes for eight critical holes affecting Windows, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word and other programs that could be exploited to take control of a computer. Of the 14 patches addressing a total of 34 vulnerabilities, four of them should be given priority, Microsoft said in its Security Response Center blog post:

Focused on security and stability, Microsoft has released updates to its Office 2004 and 2008 suite of productivity applications for Mac.

The update to Office 2008, now version 12.2.6, plugs a security hole that would allow potential hackers to access your Mac's data by overwriting memory with malicious code. The update is recommended for all users of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac (Home and Student Edition, Special Media Edition, Student and Teacher Edition, and Business Edition).

Microsoft has launched a new page on the Windows 7 web site which tell users what they "need to know" about the strengths of Windows-powered PCs.

"PCs are designed for work and play, with features you need to get things done on the job or at school and have fun at home or on the go. From easily sharing Microsoft Office documents to watching HDTV and Blu-ray movies, PCs help you do it all," says the new page on the Windows 7 site.

Microsoft on Friday said it is investigating an unpatched vulnerability in Windows after an Israeli researcher revealed a bug in the operating system's kernel driver.

According to Gil Dabah, a researcher from Tel Aviv who goes by the nickname "arkon," the Windows' kernel harbors a heap overflow vulnerability. Dabah also posted a short proof-of-concept to demonstrate the bug on RageStorm.com, a site he and two others run.

Researchers have identified a kernel-level vulnerability in Windows that allows attackers to gain escalated privileges and may also allow them to remotely execute malicious code. All versions of the Microsoft OS are affected, including the heavily fortified Windows 7.

The buffer overflow, which was originally reported here, can be exploited to escalate privileges or crash vulnerable machines, IT research company Vupen said. The flaw may also allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

The Google security engineer who stirred up a hornets' nest two months ago after publicizing a critical Windows vulnerability said Friday that Microsoft will credit his work on four of the 34 bugs slated for patching on Tuesday.

"Apparently I'm getting four credits on Tuesday," said Tavis Ormandy in a Twitter message Friday.