Microsoft has issued alerts and updates this week for both Windows Media Player and Outlook Express, explaining that both are open to serious attack, which could render a user’s computer under the control from someone out on the Internet.
The Outlook Express update affects Microsoft Outlook Express 5.5 and 6, on almost all versions of Windows including XP and 2000 (Win2k).
Explains Microsoft of the Outlook Express security bulletin, “This update resolves a newly discovered, privately reported vulnerability… We recommend that customers should apply the update at the earliest opportunity.”
According to Microsoft, the Outlook Express security problem is with the address book system. The bulletin explains that the Outlook Express vulnerability “allows an attacker who sent a Windows Address Book file to a user of an affected system to take complete control of the system.” Once the infected Windows address book file is on the user’s system (unbeknownst to the user), the attacker can remotely install programs and access all of the user’s data.
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Also this week Microsoft issued a critical security update for Windows Media Player.
“This update resolves two newly discovered vulnerabilities… If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system,” warned Microsoft, adding that “We recommend that customers apply the update immediately.”
There are two components to both the Windows Media Player vulnerability and the Windows Media Player update; one has to do with the Windows Media Format Series Runtime, and the other with Microsoft Windows Media Player 6.4. It is important to note, as Microsoft does, that even if you have upgraded to a later version of Windows Media Player, you still need to do the Windows Media Player 6.4 security update, because many versions of Windows “will still have Windows Media Player 6.4 installed on the system for backwards compatibility.”
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