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Microsoft Office for Windows Has Security Flaws in Word, Excel

A cryptographer at the Singapore-based Institute of Infocomm Research has determined that there are serious security flaws in Microsoft Word and Excel in terms of their encryption for password protection of documents. Hongjun Wu, who has written a paper on the subject, says that “A lot of information could be…

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Microsoft Won’t..Oh, Wait…Will Fix DRM Flaw

Last week Aunty told you about Internet baddies who are loading spyware, adware, and viruses (oh my!) into media files, using a loophole in Microsoft’s Digital Rights Management (DRM) process, and causing the nasties to be installed on the computers of unaware users who think that they are downloading media…

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Sites Which Ban Internet Explorer – Has This Happened to You?

For those of you who have never ventured beyond the world of Windows, you may not realize the number of websites which people such as I, who don’t use Windows, encounter which are not only “optimized to work with Internet Explorer”, but which simply won’t work with any browser other…

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Is Microsoft’s Anti-Spyware Really a Bootlegged Windows “Gotcha!”?

Microsoft’s spyware program is one of the first to use the new Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) process of determining whether your version of Windows is legitimate or pirated.

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Cellery Diet Gives Windows Computers Worms

Security and anti-virus company Sophos is reporting that there is a new worm out this week which targets Windows users (don’t they all?) Dubbed “Cellery”, due to the text which appears on its splash screen, the worm offers its victims genuine entertainment in the form of an actual, playable game…

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Two More Windows Patches from Microsoft

In addition to the critical fix for the Help flaw which implicated Active X, and which Aunty posted about here, Microsoft today announced two additional security patches for Windows users. The first one involves both a cursor and icon handling vulnerability, along with a Windows kernal vulnerability, and affects a…

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Microsoft Announces Patch for “Help Flaw” Security Hole

Not a moment too soon, Microsoft has announced a fix for that pesky “help flaw” involving ActiveX which Aunty first reported on here and again here just yesterday. Making this flaw even more devestating than some others is the fact that it affects so many flavours of Windows, including version…

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Internet Explorer 6 Security Flaw Given “Extremely Critical” Status

Security company Secunia, Inc. has raised the security threat warning for recently revealed Internet Explorer 6 security flaws to “extremely critical”, their highest threat level. This is the result of yet another “security” site publishing yet another set of instructions for how to exploit the security hole (what’s up with…

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Microsoft Offers Free Anti-Spyware to Windows Users

Consider it an act of contrition, largesse, or just good business sense, but Microsoft is making available its new anti-spyware software free to Windows users. Having acquired anti-spyware maker Giant Company last month, it was anticipated that Microsoft would enfold a spyware fighting product into its offerings, but that it…

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This Site Will Scare You, But In a Good Way

AuditMyPC.com is a website which offers a host of free services designed to help you to secure your PC. Using readily available diagnostic tools and your Internet connection, the AuditMyPC.com site will tell you exactly what security holes you have open, Windows patches which you are missing, spyware which is…

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Microsoft to Spammer: That’ll be $7.4 million, please.

Microsoft has won a $7.4million judgement against a Tuscon, Arizona spammer. Glenn Hannifin, the ‘proprietor’ of U Save Depot, was accused by Microsoft of sending millions of pieces of spam hawking everything from software to leather jackets. The software offered included copies of Microsoft Office, discounted to a fraction of…

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Windows Help Vulnerability Target of Newly Released Trojan

It seems that online baddies are again using a flaw in the Windows help system to help themselves – to access to your computer system. As reported by Aunty last week, a flaw in the help system for certain releases of Windows, along with instructions on how to exploit it,…

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Only 10 Filing Days Left for Windows Users in California

January 8th, 2005, is the deadline for Windows users to file a claim against Microsoft under the settlement in the class-action lawsuit on behalf of several California plaintiffs against the software giant. The settlement, arising from a lawsuit in which it was claimed that Microsoft had violated California’a anti-trust law…

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Trend Micro Offers Free Virus and Spam Checker for Cell Phones

Anti-virus leader Trend Micro has announced that they are offering a free virus and spam checker for mobile phones. With more and more people carrying an almost dizzying array of increasingly sophisticated “Smart Phones”, many analysts see cell phones as the next frontier for virus writers. And of course SMS…

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No Wait, These Ã…re the Last Two Windows Holes of the Year

Aunty had no idea that there was such a distinction to finding the last Windows security hole of the year! But that is the only thing which can explain this last minute rush to post newly discovered flaws in the eleventh hour of the holiday season. Barely ten hours ago,…