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Those who have not updated their PCs with recent patches from Microsoft for VML and for Excel risk having flaws in those vectors exploited by attackers. Remote code execution poses a threat to Microsoft Excel...
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Microsoft's heavily touted, latest version of Windows finally gains a much-needed service pack, but it's still just a little out of reach.
The beta status for the Vista operating system service pack means it's almost but not entirely finished yet. A Microsoft product manager, Nick White, posted details about it at the Windows Vista blog.
"Much has been made of what will or will not be included in SP1 and when it will be released (some accurate, some otherwise)," said White.
"I'm here to set the story straight: we're in the process of developing and deploying a Beta version of SP1."
Don't expect Vista SP1 to leave beta quickly. White said it would be a few weeks until the highly anticipated service pack, in beta form, becomes available for Vista users.
A full release of Vista SP1 should happen in the first quarter of 2008.
Many Windows users likely noticed some out-of-band updates hitting their machines this week. White said these updates, found here and here, address Vista's reliability and performance.
"The exact date really depends on feedback we receive from testers and the work we put into making sure we understand the feedback we receive," Jon Devaan Senior Vice President of the Windows Core Operating System division at Microsoft, said in a Q&A formatted statement about Vista SP1.
DeVaan also commented on why so much more time passed between the Vista release and its service pack, compared to other versions of Windows like Vista's predecessor, XP.
"When you look at all the other methods we have outside of the service pack itself to service Windows, I think it's fair to say that we're actually getting fixes, improvements and updates into the hands of customers faster than ever before," he said.
DeVaan noted how compatibility issues play a role in determining what makes it into a service pack. For example, device compatibility issues, where a Windows users attempts to add a component only to receive a "Device Not Found" message, has led Microsoft to boost its driver coverage to over 2.2 million, up from 1.4 million in January.
About
the Author:
David Utter is a business and technology writer for SecurityProNews and WebProNews.
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