- by Jim Edwards

© Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
  http://www.thenetreporter.com  
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After another security hole recently surfaced in Microsoft’s Windows
operating system, the software giant released a patch this past
Friday to plug the possibly devastating "back door" which allows
hackers to potentially seize control of any pc running Windows. 

The latest threat, "Download.Ject," infiltrates computers after
users surfing with Microsoft’s "Internet Explorer" web browser visit
websites infected with the virus.

This newest security patch covers Windows XP, 2000, and Windows
Server 2003.

Several factors make this latest development more disturbing than
past discoveries of security problems with Internet Explorer,
currently the most dominant web browser on the market.

First, it demonstrates very clearly that criminals discovered they
can use the power of viruses to very profitably steal important
bank, personal, and credit data from people on a large scale.

Second, it took Microsoft what many would consider a very long time
to come up with a patch for this problem.

Before a fix appeared, Microsoft told everyone who uses Internet
Explorer to stick their finger in the dyke by putting their web
browser security settings on high, rendering it impossible to view
or use features on many websites and web-based services. 

Third, expect this to happen again as new holes open in the future
when Microsoft makes Windows more complicated, adds layers of code,
and generally makes the operating system more complex.

This may sound like business as usual, however, I think this story
actually points to a much deeper problem, one for which I’m not sure
a simple solution exists.

Though free and reasonably reliable, many people do not
automatically update their Windows operating system through the
update service on Microsoft’s website. (I won’t even get into how
many people don’t operate up-to-date anti-virus protection.)

Whenever Microsoft publishes a security update, especially for a
highly publicized and obviously widespread security breach,
thousands of people will not immediately download the update.

In fact, tens-of-thousands of users will not download these security
updates for days, weeks, even months (if ever).

So let me ask what seems like a very elementary question: By
publishing security updates that point out very obvious flaws in
their system, doesn’t Microsoft also point the way to exactly where
the holes exist?

Let me put it another way.

Doesn’t this rate the same as discovering that the local bank vault
won’t lock and then announcing the details on the front page of the
paper along with the dates and times no bank guard will be on duty?

After all, if tens-of-thousands of users won’t immediately get the
Microsoft Security Patch, don’t those patches show hackers exactly
which holes get plugged (and which, logically, must already be open
without the patch)?

It doesn’t take a hacker with more than a basic set of skills to
recognize where and what holes got fixed and then reverse-engineer
how they can get into computers that don’t get updated.

Now, do I have a concrete, 100% bullet-proof answer to this problem?
Unfortunately, I don’t have more than a common-sense answer…

At this point, your best defense rates staying current on the latest
threats and how to defend against them.

Keep your anti-virus software current, your firewall up, and your
Windows software updated with the latest security patches.

Though not a perfect solution, at least you’ll have a fighting
chance to prevent, or at least minimize, any possible threats.

For more information from Microsoft’s website, go here
http://www.ebookfire.com/download-ject.html

–Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the co-author
of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to use fr^e articles
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