Posted on 03/07/2015 5:30:46 PM PST by dayglored
Microsoft on Thursday confirmed that Windows was vulnerable to FREAK attacks, and researchers changed their tune, saying Internet Explorer (IE) users were at risk.
The news was a turnabout from earlier in the week, when researchers initially fingered only Apple's iOS and OS X and Google's Android operating systems as those that could fall victim to cybercriminals spying on purportedly secure communications between browsers and website servers.
By adding Windows to the list, the number of jeopardized users jumped dramatically: Windows powered 92% of all personal computers last month.
In a security advisory released Thursday, Microsoft said Windows was, in fact, vulnerable to FREAK (Factoring attack on RSA-EXPORT Keys).
"Microsoft is aware of a security feature bypass vulnerability in Secure Channel (Schannel) that affects all supported releases of Microsoft Windows," Microsoft said in the advisory. "Our investigation has verified that the vulnerability could allow an attacker to force the downgrading of the cipher suites used in an SSL/TLS connection on a Windows client system."
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(Excerpt) Read more at computerworld.com ...
Incorrect, at least from Microsoft. Microsoft will not provide support for XP, period. They might recommend some third-party support vendors who can patch the operating system for you, but Microsoft no longer handles patching for their operating systems.
Further, with this particular vulnerability, XP can not be patched due to the changes needing to be made. The changes to the operating system required to make XP secure would irreparably break XP due to the way XP's kernel worked.
Well then .. I guess it’s not really a BUG is it.
Does anyone really believe all those updates “they” want you to download are really for your security?
Howdy there, dude behind my screen monitoring every keystroke.
I always wondered whether the security updates closed one hole but opened a hidden back door for the snoops.
FIX for Windows 7 anyone?
I had a patch this morning... could this be over?
I'm sorry Windows XP is such a great OS that so many people are still using it and Snow Leopard apparently sucked ass because no one is using it. Also how many people are still using the original OS X.0? Yet 19% of the users (according to you are still using XP).
It's not about the % of people using it...it's about who has supported their OS for the longest period of time.
Actually I’m running windows 8.1. I didn’t take that as a warning to people to upgrade off of XP to win7 or win8.1. If that was your intention I’m sorry I couldn’t see that in your point. Either my bias or your bias got in the way...probably a bit of both :-)
But it does look like Swordmaker is trying to compare OS support models. FWIW.
When Win7 lets my NAT server run, or alternately quits being a jackass about ICS and allows me to assign myself the IP I wish, then I’ll switch my last XP box. Not til then.
Ah, ok. Well, best of luck. I'm skipping 8.x entirely, as I hate the UI (though the underlying OS is fine), but it appears that Win10 may address the most serious and egregious errors of 8.x (I'm playing with the Technical Preview). I'll probably transition from 7 to 10 a few years from now when it stabilizes.
> I didn’t take that as a warning to people to upgrade off of XP to win7 or win8.1. If that was your intention I’m sorry I couldn’t see that in your point. Either my bias or your bias got in the way...probably a bit of both :-)
Heh, probably so. No apology necessary, apparently just a misunderstanding. Thank you for taking my good-natured jabs in the light spirit in which they were intended. :)
I assume you meant "...for their UNSUPPORTED operating systems".
Or did you actually mean that Microsoft no longer handles patching for Win7 and Win8? I hadn't heard about that. If so, do you have a link where I can read up on that? As a professional System Admin I'll need to know.
Just get start8. You’re missing out on a lot of great stuff. And for no real good reason... You can completely make it look like win 7.
Well, I probably should let you know that the main reason I can work with Win7 is that I can make it look like Win2K. I'm not kidding -- I have a strong preference for what Win7 calls the "Windows Classic" theme, and I brain-damage the Start Menu back into 2001 such that it is quite simple, unobtrusive, and quick. I lose no functionality, but I regain simplicity of operation.
FYI, I have a few Windows Server 2012 R2 boxes, which have the Windows 8 UI (more or less) and they're nearly unusable compared to the old Windows Server 2008 and 2003 interfaces, due to the additional number of clicks required to get to actual functions. The Win8/Server2012 UI is the stupidest thing I've ever seen on a server. I grant you that's my own opinion and YMMV.
Anyway, I appreciate your recommendation of Start8 and I will download and play with it.
Tell me, though: irrespective of Start8, what new features exist in Win8, that don't exist in Win7, that provide improved or additional system (non-GUI) functionality? As you can tell, I don't care a rat's-ass about cool desktop widgets and pretty colors; I use a computer to DO things, not play with widgets. So... Are there improvements to the system tools? The handling of large file transfers over long-distance internet connections? The stability and security of browsing? The handling and logging of system errors in scheduled tasks? That sort of thing...?
Thanks in advance. :)
Boot time is much faster. More stable. One drive integration. “roaming” profiles logging in with your Microsoft ID, refresh PC option, faster, easily identify boot performance issues, and more. Those are just off the top of my mind as I woke up because my dog barked. If you need more let me know.
I have a friend that absolutely store he didn’t want win 8. Two weeks ago I had him install it... He is kicking himself for not going sooner. I did put start8 on his box to keep it looking like won 7.
bflr
Hmm, that's a pretty impressive list right there.
Okay, tell ya what, I'll download a copy of Win8.1 on my MSDN and install it and Start8 and see what I think. I promise to keep an open mind.
And it'll be helpful because my Mom (who will turn 91 this year) is now running Win8.1 and occasionally asks me for tech support. :)
Thanks!
Tech writers never write what their engineers actually say. "Artistic liberty" is their watchword, even if it's wrong.
I did mean unsupported. Apologies for the miscue.
Like I’ve told everybody but you, I guess .. I have received extensive security updates (2) within the last few weeks from Microsoft.
So, I guess you all can stop now with the “bug” stuff.
Well .. bully for them .. they actually use FREE SPEECH for something other than calling everybody racist.
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