Microsoft has gone outside their usual patch release schedule and has released an emergency patch which everyone running affected versions of Windows is urged to get and install immediately.

If you get an email, supposedly from Microsoft, which says “Security Update for OS Microsoft Windows”, ignore it, delete it, and whatever you do, don’t install the “patch” which comes with it, which is, of course, really a trojan program just waiting to wreak havoc on your computer.

In a move that can only be described as, at best, disingenuous, Microsoft testified this week before the U.S. Congress that if Yahoo were allowed to partner with Google in a search advertising deal, it would, they implied, be an illegal monopoly. Oh, right, but if Microsoft buys Yahoo for the very same reason, that’s ok??

You can say one thing for Carl Ichan – he doesn’t give up. Icahn, currently embroiled in his own takeover bid for Yahoo’s board, is also fomenting Microsoft’s efforts to acquire Yahoo – or at least part of Yahoo – again.

King of Spam (make that former King of Spam) Scott Richter has closed a chapter in his book of spam kingness, and has settled a lawsuit with Microsoft for a cool $7million. Which of course leads one to wonder just how much he actually made while seated on his spamming throne.

Microsoft has taken the fight against spam to the next level, by suing not the spammer, but the web hosting service which provides services to the spammers.

Outlook 2003 actually contains some fairly nifty built-in anti-spam functions, similar to those found in many of today’s end-user email programs.