Microsoft

It was one of the most sought after applications on the Internet until it was leaked earlier today. And now that it’s out there—and it is all over the place, easily findable by anyone able to use a search engine—we can all move on with our lives. Yes, Microsoft COFEE, the law enforcement tool that mystified so many of us (including Gizmodo~! and Ars Technica~!), is now available to download. If only there were a “bay” of some sort where, I don’t know, pirates hang out…

One of the most unpopular features of Windows Vista among casual users was the User Account Control (UAC). Ironically, while the UAC provoked irate comments from these users, like "why is my computer asking me to approve everything", the feature was one of the most appreciated features by power users as it gave them much more control over their security and ability to prevent inappropriate actions.

Microsoft today said it will deliver six security updates Tuesday, less than half the number it issued last month, to fix flaws in Windows and Office. The updates will patch a total of 15 separate vulnerabilities , Microsoft said in a follow-up entry to its security response center's blog.

Windows 7 is a valuable upgrade delivering an awesome, new user interface, but don’t expect any major improvements in security.

Anti-virus software vendor Sophos tested Windows 7’s built-in anti-virus capabilities by feeding a clean system 10 pieces of the newest malware. Eight out of the 10 samples ran successfully, claims Sophos.

Microsoft's monthly predictions about whether hackers will create reliable exploit code for its bugs were right only about a quarter of the time in the first half of 2009, the company acknowledged Monday. "That's not as good as a coin toss," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security. "So what's the point?"

Windows 7 is a tremendous improvement over Vista and XP. Where I felt annoyed at just about every turn by Vista, I find myself refreshed by Windows 7. Performance is improved, clutter is reduced, and common tasks are simpler and surfaced more readily. I even like the name, which somehow seems honest and appropriately understated. The improvements are subtle, but they are many and meaningful. I particularly like the Window sizing feature snap (although I'm not a big user of its cousin shake) and the improvements to wireless network management.

Microsoft's move to cut pricing on a number of its online services wasn't unexpected, but could put pressure on its channel partners, according to an analyst. The price reductions are an extension of a promotion that already was garnering success.

"It's not much of a surprise," said Rob Sanfilippo, research vice president for Directions on Microsoft. "The interesting thing about it is that it is cutting margins even more."

Microsoft this week disclosed new evidence that the good guys may be getting the upper hand on cybercriminals -- at least some of the time.

The software giant says it is seeing decreases in scareware, those obnoxious online promotions that try to frighten you into paying for worthless antivirus protection, along with a decline in those faked Flash player updates that actually download viral coding that allows the bad guys to take full control of your PC.

Windows 7's market share surged nearly 40% in the week following its release, according to Web measurement company Net Applications. Overall, Windows continued to lose share globally, dropping 0.23 of a percentage point during October, while Apple's Mac OS X picked up most of that loss, gaining 0.15 of a point to finish the month near 5.3%, its highest ever.

For the week after Microsoft launched Windows 7 on Oct. 22, the new operating system's share averaged 2.66%, a jump of more than 39% over the 1.91% average for the part of October prior to its retail release.

A Microsoft security report released Monday warns that cyber crooks are digging into computers for weak spots to penetrate with worms -- malicious software that steals control or data.

Rogue security software remained the top hacker threat to computers during the first half of this year, but the number of infections was dropping while penetrations by worms doubled, according to the Security Intelligence Report.