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Revised WMF Bulletin And Other Stuff
John Stith
Staff Writer
2006-01-05
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
The WMF vulnerability continues to cause problems in the computer world. Microsoft's official fix will be included in the monthly release now known as "Patch Tuesday." This morning, however, they updated their bulletin with new information. Some companies have begun to distribute their blocks for the vulnerability.
The big addendum for the bulletin is an FAQ for other versions of Windows include 98, 98 SE and Millenium. They also updated an FAQ concerning embedded images in Office documents. The workaround was update with information about re-registering the Windows Fax and Image Viewer.
Fixes are starting to float about a bit now. A version of the Microsoft patch slated for Tuesday was leaked out. It's been tested and it works but it's also been pulled. The other fix is "unofficial" and while most independent security folks say it works, Microsoft, officially cannot support it. There are also workarounds as well.
Some companies have also begun to put out their own fixes for their own security software to block this potential exploit. PC Tools say they've got a fix for the WMF exploit. Spywall says they've also got a block to help prevent the problem.
"Criminals are already taking advantage of this security defect to install additional malicious spyware and malware onto computers," said Simon Clausen, CEO of PC Tools. "When our R&D team spotted the WMF vulnerability, they developed a solution to guard our users from hackers and other individuals looking to exploit the flaw."
At this point, regardless of what Microsoft says, the problem needs to be corrected. Even SANS advised users to go with the third party fix. The problem many will run into will be for those who don't follow the tech industry and spend very limited time online. Unfortunately, those folks are the ones most susceptible to these kinds of attacks.
About the Author:
John is a staff writer for SecurityProNews covering cyber security.
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