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Problems with MS Patch Cycle

Is next week going to be too late?

By Alex Muradin, Editor, Software Reviews

4th of January 2006, 16:07 GMT

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It seems as though there's another problem with Microsoft's approach to its monthly cycle system. It's been recently noted that there's a vulnerability which lies with the way the operating system renders Windows Meta File images. This in turn could infect a PC if the victim simply visits a Web site that
contains a malicious image file. Experts have said that this puts end users at risk.

Sam Curry, a vice president at security vendor Computer Associates International said, "This vulnerability is rising in popularity among hackers, and it is simple to exploit… This has to be taken very seriously, and time is of the essence. A patch coming out as soon as possible is the responsible thing to do."

The latest WMF (Windows Meta File) flaw has put a lot of pressure on Microsoft Corp. to release an update that's outside its scheduled cycle release since it could negatively affect enormous amount of users and businesses alike.

Andreas Marx, an antivirus software specialist at the University of Magdeburg in Germany, has already announced that a million PC's have already shown signs of being compromised. He also found a Web site which shows how many copies of a program that installs malicious software have been delivered to vulnerable PCs.

Not only are businesses a little peeved at the Redmond giant, but Symantec also had something to add saying that "There is a potential 7-day window for which attackers could exploit this issue in a potentially widespread and serious fashion." If hackers get their acts together, they will be able to severely disrupt PC's that haven't had the latest patch.
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