Computer Security

Just a quick note: Make sure if you have QuickTime installed on your computer that is it up to date. Last week Apple released an important security update that affects QuickTime on Mac and Windows computers. The update fixes the flaw identified in the "Hack a Mac" contest held at a security conference a few weeks ago. More information at: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/.

Microsoft has just released a number of very important security updates. There are three critical updates affecting Microsoft Office and one for Internet Explorer that should be installed on all computers ASAP. As usual, some of these vulnerabilities are already being exploited, so the sooner you can install the patch the sooner you will be protected. You will required to restart your computer before the updates take effect.

The Office patches also affect Office 2004 for Mac. The fix can be found in the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.3.5 Update.

For more information about patching and keeping your computers up to date, see my first Patch Tuesday blog entry.

We have found a few computers on campus that have experienced problems this week when attempting to install Windows Updates. One symptom is that Windows Updates appear to hang or freeze when searching for updates. Another symptom has been receiving a SVCHOST error if you attempt to open an application, browser window, or network folder (such as cabinet) while Windows Update is running. Microsoft is aware of the problem and they are working on a permanent fix, which we expect to be available later this month.

In the mean time, Microsoft has provided us with two patches that should help alleviate the problem. These patches are only needed if the computer is experiencing the symptoms mentioned above and can be installed by the Help Desk. Please contact the Help Desk if you are experiencing these problems or have any other questions about Windows Update.

If you would like more technical details, there is a good overview with links to information at the SANS Internet Storm Center.

Apple has released Security Update 2007-005 which fixes a number vulnerabilities in a wide variety of system components. Some of the vulnerabilities are serious, such as ones involving PDF files and Plug-and-Play, so if you haven't patched yet you should do so now. You will be required to restart.

To make sure your computer is up-to-date, you can run Software Update to check at any time. For instructions on how to run Software Update, please see Mac Maintenance on the Help Desk web site or Mac OS X: Updating your software on Apple's web site.

Apple has just released another security update, this time patching QuickTime for Mac and Windows. The current version is now QuickTime 7.1.6. For more information about these patches see the Apple Security article.

I just read an article describing a way that our Symantec Antivirus software could falsely identify a file as a virus. The file is part of Spybot Search and Destroy version 1.3, which may be installed on some Emerson computers. Symantec released a virus definition update on May 30, which began incorrectly identifying "blindman.exe" as a virus. They have since released corrected virus definitions, but you still may see this error on Emerson computers until the new defs are loaded.