The responsibility for protecting Windows systems against ever-increasing threats is in new hands.
Ben Fathi, a software engineer by trade, took over from Mike Nash as corporate vice president of Microsoft's Security Technology Unit on June 1. Nash is on sabbatical.
The change is part of a recent shakeup in Microsoft's executive ranks, which also put someone new in charge of Windows.
The decision for some small business users to upgrade to Microsoft Windows Vista once it becomes available in early 2007 will depend largely on what the new operating system can do for you and what hardware you have to run it on.
Microsoft has prepared a Get Ready page listing the hardware required to run Windows Vista, and for Windows Vista beta 2 there's a public download available.
Microsoft has defended its decision not to patch a critical security flaw in Windows 98.
Support for the operating system officially ends next month on July 12.
The vulnerability exists in Windows Explorer and the way it handles Component Object Model objects, whereby a malicious Web site could force a connection to a remote server where Explorer could fail, executing arbitrary code and giving the attacker complete control of the OS.
Microsoft Corp. warned of eight "critical" security flaws in its Windows operating system and Office software on Tuesday that could allow attackers to take control of a computer.
Microsoft was still warning users on Monday to order a DVD copy of Windows Vista 2 rather than download the massive multi-gigabyte files, saying that it couldn't pump out bits any faster without impacting the Internet as a whole.
On Friday, the developer posted a message on the Visa 2 Beta download and order page that said company servers were experiencing extremely high demand.
Many Windows PCs have been turned into zombies, but rootkits are not yet widespread, according to a Microsoft security report slated for release Monday.
More than 60 percent of compromised Windows PCs scanned by Microsoft's Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool between January 2005 and March 2006 were found to be running malicious bot software, the company said. The tool removed at least one version of the remote-control software from about 3.5 million PCs, it added. That's compared with an overall 5.7 million machines with infections overall.
Backdoor Trojans are a clear and present danger to Windows machines, Microsoft said Monday as it released the first-ever analysis of data collected by the 15-month run of its Malicious Software Removal Tool, a utility that seeks out and destroys over five-dozen malware families.
According to Microsoft's anti-malware engineering team, Trojans that, once installed, give an attacker access and control of a PC, are a "significant and tangible threat to Windows users."
Microsoft plans to issue a dozen security alerts on Tuesday - some carrying the highest risk rating of critical - as part of a monthly security update to fix flaws in its software.
Nine of the patches relate to its Windows operating system, two address problems in its Microsoft Office productivity software and the other is for the company's Exchange email server software, Microsoft said on its website.
Microsoft acknowledged reports Wednesday that its latest update to Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), an anti-piracy program implemented to detect counterfeit copies of Windows XP, phones home to the Redmond company on a daily basis.
Windows administrators will be busy next week, as Microsoft plans to release a whopping 12 security patches for its products. The updates will include a fix for a widely reported vulnerability in Microsoft Word, as well as changes to the way Internet Explorer handles ActiveX that might cause headaches for some. Nine of the patches will address vulnerabilities in the Windows operating system, some of which Microsoft rates critical, according to the security bulletin about the patches.
