Microsoft Can’t Patch Flaw in Windows 98, ME June 11, 2006
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Software giant had promised to fix the critical flaw, but now says that won't happen.
With support for its Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition operating systems about to expire, Microsoft has given up on the idea of patching a critical security vulnerability in the products, the company announced this week.
The flaw has to do with the way Windows Explorer handles the Component Object Model objects used by Windows programs. Attackers could take over a system by tricking users into visiting a Web site that would then connect them to a remote file server.
"This remote file server could then cause Windows Explorer to fail in a way that could allow code execution," Microsoft said.
Microsoft had fixed the problem in the majority of its Windows products on April 11. At the time, it had promised to deliver a patch for Windows 98 and ME "as soon as possible." complete story here
The Rise of Ransomware June 5, 2006
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Imagine this… You find a file on your hard drive claiming that hackers have taken over your PC and encrypted your files. The hackers demand money in exchange for providing the means to recover your data. You think it’s a scam, a hoax – but then you find that your precious personal data is in fact encrypted. Personal documents that you urgently require for work or for your studies are now inaccessible to you. You have no backup. What do you do?
It sounds like the plot for some kind of lame movie, but in fact this is just what happened to Helen Barrow, a 40-year-old nurse from Rochdale in the UK. She is believed to be one of the first victims of the con in the UK, where hackers hijack computer files and blackmail owners to get them back. full story here
