October 2008

Critical Microsoft patch available

Microsoft has issued an out-of-band update. This is unusual as Microsoft rarely releases patches ahead of the usual once monthly Patch Tuesday. In this case the severity of the security hole has prompted them to wisely hurry the process along. This update is for XP and Vista although for Vista users it is not deemed critical. What the heck, do it anyway. If you have Windows Update all organized (as you should) you should be safe. If you are unsure if you already have the patch installed then go to Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, make sure the check box for show updates is checked:

and, when the list is finally displayed look for:

If it's not installed go back to the Control Panel and click on Security Center. Make sure all the settings for Windows Updates, your firewall and whatever anti-virus you use are all functioning as they should.

Adobe Flash Upgrade

Adobe has released version 10 of its flash player. This release addresses the so-called Clickjacking attacks where a user could be tricked into clicking a link that would send them to a rogue website. The new version 10 for Windows may be downloaded here.

Opera Upgraded to 9.60

Time time to visit http://www.opera.com and download the latest and greatest version 9.60 of the most secure browser.