Spam attacks and security vulnerabilities have prompted Microsoft to plan to turn off its troublesome Windows Messenger service in the next Windows XP update. The Messenger service is a data exchange mechanism for networked computers that shouldn't...
SP2 will herald the change to a system provisionally known as 'delta patching' - a term that Microsoft says will be changed to something "more fluffy" when the pack is eventually released - whereby patches will only download changes to a file, not...
Microsoft released SP2 in August to combat the plethora of holes and vulnerabilities that hackers were exploiting in Windows XP. In anticipation of this, Microsoft has provided businesses with an SP2 blocker, a tool that allows desktops to download...
Governments will get information on existing security flaws as well as advanced information on upcoming product patches, which also means getting information on vulnerabilities before the general public does.
It warned companies that do not use those services to download the patches from its website and apply them as soon as possible. Symantec is distributing patches to its customers through its LiveUpdate automatic update service and other mechanisms.
The Sans report also warns of an increase in zero-day attacks - which occur when vulnerabilities are exploited before or on the same day as patches are released - maximising the window of opportunity for the attackers.