Category: Service Pack 3

Microsoft Updates the Autorun Patch KB967715

Paul

The updates offered in this article correctly disable the Autorun features. These features were not correctly disabled if you followed previously published guidance. The updates that are offered in this article have been distributed to the following systems through the Windows Update and Automatic update distribution channels:

* Microsoft Windows 2000
* Windows XP Service Pack 2
* Windows XP Service Pack 3
* Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1
* Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2

[ad#ad2-right]This will help with the Conflicker Worm, also known the new variant Conflicker B++. Microsoft released this patch to better help the Administrators deal with the problem at hand. That the Conflicker worm exploits the autorun feature in most system. The Administrators need to disable the Autorun feature the right way, or it will not prevent infections.

Microsoft releases the necessary registry keys to edit and how want updates are needed to make this work. This will make it much harder for any program to exploit the Autorun feature in Windows.

This information is provided to help the Admins prevent from getting infected and should not be done by anyone who isn’t comfortable with editing the registry. If you’re not sure how to do it, please take it to someone who can do it. You could potentially make the system unstable messing with registry.

Patch list for Patch Tuesday January 2009

Paul

I just got the update of what will be patched and what will I expect to be patched, Here is my list of what will be coming on Patch Tuesday, January 13, 2009:

  • [ad#ad2-right]Update for Windows Mail Junk E-mail Filter [January 2009] (KB905866) — Keeps those junk emails from getting into your system.

  • Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool – January 2009 (KB890830) — This is a usual thing for Microsoft and should not be messed with.

  • Windows XP Service Pack 3 (KB936929) — Changes made to the were made for the Metadata but nothing else.

  • Critical update — Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4, Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows XP Service Pack 3, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2,  Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service Pack 2,Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems and Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems.

  • Moderate Update — Windows Vista and Windows Vista Service Pack 1,Windows Vista x64 Edition and Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems, Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems, Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems.  (Windows Server 2008 Core Installation affected)

These were the only I could find that I expect to be deployed on the next windows updates.  I expect the really bad updates they are going to wait till last minute to tell anyone.  When they become available I’ll let you know which ones and how quickly they need to be installed.

The Cricitcal and Moderate Update for Microsoft are the same but since the NT Kernal is used for Vista and the Servers it isn’t affected as bad as the Window’s Kernal.   I would guess it will be a core installation program that would be the culprit and Microsoft is going to patch it.   I won’t find out about it till Tuesday but Microsoft has said it will only be a few updates so that is good.  We will have to wait and see!!

Microsoft Knows about the SQL Bug — KB961040

Paul

Microsoft confirmed some information about the this little SQl bug and issued a Statement in an Security Advisory 961040 and in it Microsoft said:

Microsoft is investigating new public reports of a vulnerability that could allow remote code execution on systems with supported editions of Microsoft SQL Server 2000, Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000), Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (WMSDE), and Windows Internal Database (WYukon). Systems with Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack 4, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3, and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 are not affected by this issue.

[via Microsoft Technet]

[ad#ad2-left-1]One researcher, a Bernhard Mueller, is claiming that Microsoft has the patch available and ready to patch this bug.  According to him Microsoft this patch is done and isn’t scheduled to be release yet.  I don’t know when they will patch this but if Techworld is right it will be an out of cycle patch.   I am sure that if Microsoft does release it in cycle then it will be this coming patch cycle.  January 13, 2009 is the next cycle of patches for Microsoft and should be available at 10pm PST time. If Microsoft doesn’t release the patch soon they will undoubtedly wait till Patch Tuesday.  In my previous article I talked about this to a point the workaround so if you are using an SQL server you need to do this work around.

New Vulnebility in the SQL Server

Paul

Microsoft as Issued a warning on a new Vulnerability for:

Microsoft Security Advisory (KB961040)

[ad#ad2-right]Vulnerability in SQL Server Could Allow Remote Code Execution

Microsoft is investigating new public reports of a vulnerability that could allow remote code execution on systems with supported editions of Microsoft SQL Server 2000, Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000), Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (WMSDE), and Windows Internal Database (WYukon). Systems with Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack 4, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3, and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 are not affected by this issue.

[Via Technet]

[ad#ad2-left]The workaround for the people who use the servers are to deny access to  sp_replwritetovarbin and only should be done by system admins.   Microsoft will probably issue a patch on the next coming next Patch Tuesday unless they hear of anything in the wild.  This does not look to affect anyone who uses Windows XP Home edition or Vista Home  edition just people who has a Microsoft server and use SQL.  It also seem to be CVE-2008-4270 in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposure database.  If I find out more I’ll let you know.

Windows XP to get 10% Performance Boost

Paul

According to software development firm Devil Mountain Software, Service Pack 3 for Windows XP is a “must have” update. Because when they ran Office productivity test suite on a preview version of SP3, they found performance boosts of 10%. So in case Windows users needed another performance-oriented reason not to upgrade to Vista, they just got one. [yahoo via lifehacker]

Now is this what people are expecting to happen or is going to happen!! 😉 I don’t think vista is all that good but I have been wrong in the past!!