Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Microsoft issues its biggest-ever security fix
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Microsoft issues its biggest-ever security fix
Reuters - Wednesday, October 13
Send
IM Story
Print
Customers shop at Microsoft's first retail store during the grand opening in Scottsdale, Arizona October 22, 2009. REUTERS/Joshua Lott
By Jim Finkle
BOSTON - Microsoft Corp issued its biggest-ever security fix on Tuesday, including repairs to its ubiquitous Windows operating system and Internet browser for flaws that could let hackers take control of a PC.
The new patches aim to fix a number of vulnerabilities including the notorious Stuxnet virus that attacked an Iranian nuclear power plant and other industrial control systems around the world.
Microsoft said four of the new patches -- software updates that write over glitches -- were of the highest priority and should be deployed immediately to protect users from potential criminal attacks on the Windows operating systems.
Microsoft said it also repaired other less serious security weaknesses in Windows, along with security problems in its widely used Office software for PCs and Microsoft Server software for business computers.
Microsoft released 16 security patches to address 49 problems in its products, many of which were discovered by outside researchers who seek out such vulnerabilities to win cash bounties as well as notoriety for their technical prowess.
"This is a huge jump," said Amol Sarwate, a research manager with computer security provider Qualys Inc. "I think the reason for it is that more and more people are out there looking for vulnerabilities."
The geeks who report such vulnerabilities to software makers are known as "white hat" hackers. Sarwate warned that there are also plenty of "black hats," or criminal hackers who look for vulnerabilities in software that they can exploit to launch attacks on computer systems.
Indeed, the world's biggest software maker said that the patches released on Tuesday include software to fix a vulnerability exploited by the Stuxnet virus -- a malicious program that attacks PCs used to run power plants and other infrastructure running Siemens industrial control systems.
The virus, which infected computers at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, was discovered over the summer. Security research Symantec said that it detected the highest concentration of the virus on computer systems in Iran, though it was also spotted in Indonesia, India, the United States, Australia, Britain, Malaysia and Pakistan.
So far Microsoft has patched three of the four vulnerabilities exploited by Stuxnet's unknown creators.
The total of 49 vulnerabilities exceeds the previous record of 34, which was set in October 2009 and matched in June and August of this year.
The constant patching of PCs is a time-consuming process for corporate users, who need to test the fixes before they deploy them to make sure they do not cause machines to crash because of compatibility problems with existing software.
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Ning launches social network tools for any website AFP - 1 hour 43 minutes ago
Intel posts 3 billion dollar quarterly net profit AFP - Wednesday, October 13
US-TECH Summary Reuters - Wednesday, October 13
Clearwire spectrum draws telecom/cable suitors: report Reuters - Wednesday, October 13
Britain faces 'real and credible' cyber threat AFP - Wednesday, October 13
News Search
Top Stories
'No risk' of currency war: Geithner
Fed mulls new stimulus plan 'before long'
Chile mine rescue operation begins
Record protests hit France in pensions showdown
US lifts Gulf of Mexico deepwater drilling ban
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
Too much TV psychologically harms kids: study
'A billion people' go hungry in 2010: report
British lottery winner gets record 129 mln euros
Record protests hit France in pensions showdown
Wind could supply fifth of world energy: Greenpeace
More Most Viewed »
US state executes first woman in nearly 100 years
Too much TV psychologically harms kids: study
Workers swarm Europe's streets in anti-cuts protests
British lottery winner gets record 129 mln euros
'A billion people' go hungry in 2010: report
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo!
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
World Cup 2010
Yahoo! News Network
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Wednesday, 13 October 2010 Eight dead as cargo plane crashes near Kabul: officials
Forty-three killed in Ukraine level crossing tragedy
US-TECH Summary
Soldiers killed by blast at Iranian military base
Elpida, Sharp to co-develop next-gen memory chip: Nikkei
Fed senses need for new stimulus 'before long': minutes
Eight crew killed in plane crash near Kabul: official
Electronic Arts falls on Medal of Honor reviews
Clooney to brief Obama on Sudan trip Tuesday
Cargo plane crashes near Kabul, seven dead: official
|
Deadly blast on US chopper in Afghanistan
Wal-Mart to start selling Apple's iPad
US lifts Gulf of Mexico deepwater drilling ban
Kyrgyz vote front-runner says seeks broad coalition
|
Software firm backed by TV heavyweights debuts service
US lifts Gulf of Mexico deepwater drilling ban
Iraq PM to visit Syria after year-long spat
Hungary secures spill firm premises, readies dam
|
Unemployment stabilises in industrialised countries: OECD
Google, Marubeni to develop underwater power cables off US
Arrested foreigners tied to anti-revolutionaries: Iran
Canada defiant on U.N. loss, blames opposition
|
Suu Kyi 'will refuse to vote in Myanmar election'
Swedish Pirate Bay prosecutor reiterates jail request
India stun England to reach Delhi Games hockey final
Full probe vowed in captive Briton's death
Amazon seeks short works for 'Kindle Singles'
Old Cambodian landmines 'kill dozens in 2010'
Full investigation vowed in captive Briton's death
Egypt media needs permit for SMS news: report
Footage 'shows land clearing threat to Sumatran tigers'
Google eyes online consumer index to track inflation
Doubles team cap day of triumph for Singapore
Singapore tycoon makes £360m bid for Liverpool
Wal-Mart to start selling Apple's iPad
|
Intel eyes slightly better sales in fourth quarter
|
Microsoft issues its biggest-ever security fix
|
Electronic Arts falls on Medal of Honor reviews
|
Elpida, Sharp to co-develop next-gen memory chip: Nikkei
|
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Software firm backed by TV heavyweights debuts service
|
Christina Aguilera and husband split up
'80s icon Rick Springfield bares all, again, in memoir
Eminem, Bieber outscore Lady Gaga in AMA nods
Lions Gate studio offer merger with MGM studios
Views of Venice light up London in new Canaletto show
Apple in talks to launch CDMA iPhone in India: WSJ
China cancels Norwegian meetings, musical over Liu's Nobel
Google in major bid for Eastern US wind power
Abu Dhabi invites tenders for Guggenheim museum construction
Hong Kong Picasso sales aim to tap China interest
Experimental novel 'C' favourite to win Booker
Christina Aguilera and husband split up
|
'80s icon Rick Springfield bares all, again, in memoir
|
Eminem, Bieber outscore Lady Gaga in AMA nods
|
Jerry Seinfeld's empires satire goes to Broadway
|
Bodies recovered after plane crash near Kabul
France faces new pension protests after a million march
Jubilation as first of Chile's 33 miners rescued
|
Rapturous welcome for Iran's Ahmadinejad in Lebanon
Ning launches social network tools for any website
Record protests hit France in pensions showdown
'No risk' of currency war: Geithner
Lebanon 'focus point of resistance': Ahmadinejad
Argentina seeks to lessen tensions over Falklands
Intel posts 3 billion dollar quarterly net profit
Obama Administration Lifts Deepwater Drilling Ban, Senator Landrieu Stays Put
Chile mine rescue operation begins
Germany, Portugal Win Rotating U.N. Security Council Seats
Clearwire spectrum draws telecom/cable suitors: report
U.S. May Lift Sanctions On Select Taliban Leaders
U.S. nudges Palestinians to answer Israeli proposal
|
Britain faces 'real and credible' cyber threat
Jay-Z Featured In PSA To "Vote Again" For Midterm Elections
Eminem, Lady Antebellum Lead Nominees For "2010 American Music Awards"
Calderon tries to cut crime in Mexican drug war city
|
Lacklustre England held by minnows Montenegro
Sony unveils "connected" TVs using Google platform
Suspects In Arizona Beheading Hunted
Garters, makeovers as women await their miners in Chile
Kyrgyz parties agree vote recount: party official
|
Google king of online ads but Bing a contender: SearchIgnite
Milwaukee-Wisconsin Student Falls To His Death; Police Investigate
UK's Hague seeks to improve relations with Russia
|
Microsoft aims barrage of fixes at Stuxnet and more
GOP Ads Warn Against Manchin's "Rubberstamp" Of Liberal Agenda
Microsoft issues its biggest-ever security fix
Canada fails in U.N. council bid
|
Mercedes-Benz Recalling Models Due To Power Steering Issue
Smartphone video call adoption stymied: Juniper
China court hears first HIV discrimination suit
DIY Network To Premiere New Vanilla Ice Series
China protected Kim's oldest son over attack plot
Sony unveils "connected" TVs using Google platform
Hurricane Paula heads for Mexican tourist coast
Trickle of Western jihadists head to Pakistan
Global Weather-Celsius
Legal move to block Tonga king's property sale
E.Timor not ready for refugee centre: lawmaker
Chinese former communist officials in reform call
Aussie boycott threat rocks Games: report
Nobel laureate's wife barred from meeting Norway officials
Games chiefs give assurances on closing ceremony
Anti-proliferation naval drill starts off S.Korea
Howard Jacobson in surprise Booker Prize win
Abu Dhabi festival aims to raise Arab film profile
Sony unveils connected TVs using Google platform
|
Paintings from actress Demi Moore's collection for sale
Intel's Q4 outlook sets upbeat tone for tech earns
|
Chefs see double-edge sword in reality TV shows
Clearwire spectrum draws telecom/cable suitors: report
|
Pharrell aimed for "time capsule" with N*E*R*D album
David Schwimmer married this past June
Comic novel scoops Man Booker Prize for first time
Lady Gaga challenged to $1 million singing competition
Seoul shares open up; POSCO falls after results
Robert De Niro, Richard Price sell cop drama to CBS
Ten killed in Indonesia landslide
Sony unveils 'Google TV' sets
In China, German minister warns of global trade war
Man arrested at Paris Hilton's home
|
Country stars turn out for tribute to Loretta Lynn
|
Perez Hilton vows to quit blog bullying
|
Lions Gate seeks MGM deal, gets Icahn's support
|
Paintings from actress Demi Moore's collection for sale
|
Pharrell aimed for time capsule with N*E*R*D album
|
David Schwimmer married this past June
|
Chefs see double-edge sword in reality TV shows
|
Blast at Iran Revolutionary Guards base 'kills 18'
Standard Chartered to raise 3.3 billion pounds
Iran says to stand by Lebanon against Israeli hostility
Afghan firms said to pay off Taliban with foreign cash
|
China's trade surplus shrinks in September
Iran says to stand by Lebanon against Israeli hostility
|
Floods Set To Deluge U.S.-Pak Strategic Dialogue Next Week
NATO: Haqqani commander killed in joint force raid
Supreme Court To Hear Texas Death Row Inmate's DNA Case
Australian army chief won't drop Afghan charges
Drug war bloodshed tarnishes Mexico's richest city
|
PLO wants map from U.S. with future Israeli border
|
Apple Gets Approval For Anti-Sexting Technology Patent
Judge Grants Worldwide Injunction Against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Adam Lambert Toning Down Malaysian Show
French unions vote to extend strike but govt firm
|
FDA Appoves Drug To Treat Heroin, Morphine Addiction
CDC Gives States Money To Study Climate Change
Pakistan flood damage at $9.5 billion
U.S. To Support Indias U.N. Aspirations With Reforms As India Elected
Pakistan Supreme Court postpones Zardari graft hearing
Hungary plant to restart, sludge may damage farmland
|
Special report
High Number Of Terminal Cancer Patients Continue To Get Unnecessary Screenings
China's wind power capacity to grow five-fold by 2020
Iraq's Maliki in Syria to mend strained ties
|
White House Raises Anonymous Donor Issue, Gibbs Rubbishes Rove
Six foreign troops killed in Afghanistan attacks
|
N.Korea could make 12,000 tonnes of chemical weapons: expert
Pakistan flood damage at $9.5 billion: officials
|
Malaysia criticises WHO over dengue battle
Thai police hold 15 Pakistanis, probe possible terror link
China offers Taiwan military dialogue
Pakistani stocks end up; rupee firms; o/n rates down
Chinese Nobel laureate's wife slams 'illegal house arrest'
Malaysia delays controversial goods and services tax
Heavy-smoking Indonesia to raise tobacco tax
Hijacked Japanese ship spotted at Somali pirate port
South Korean leader warns of new economic crisis
Cyber warfare already here, UK spy agency chief says
|
China bank lending up in September
Sony unveils connected TVs using Google platform
|
Taiwan dlr at more than 2-yr high; c.bank muffled
Sony unveils 'Google TV' sets
G20 chair S.Korea faces questions over currency
S.Korea to invest $35.4 bln in renewables by 2015
Standard Chartered to raise 3.3 billion pounds
Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon to kick off Kennedy celebrations
|
Chefs see double-edge sword in reality TV shows
|
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights