Internet Explorer 10's bundled Flash leaves users exploitable

URL: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/09/internet-explorer-10s-bundled-flash-leaves-users-exploitable/

Early users of Windows 8's built-in Internet Explorer may find themselves at risk of exploitation via the Flash plugin, as the version included with Windows 8 is out of date. Adobe patched Flash on August 21 to resolve known security flaws, but the patch can't be applied to Internet Explorer 10.

Internet Explorer 10 bundles Adobe Flash, with Microsoft taking on responsibility for shipping updates to the integrated plugin. One repercussion of this arrangement is that Adobe's patches and autoupdate mechanism can't be used; they can update the standalone version used by Firefox, but not the embedded version in Internet Explorer. The same is true of Chrome; it includes an embedded version of Flash, and the only way to update that is with a Chrome update. Adobe's updater can't touch it.

There has been some chatter on Twitter about this issue since Adobe shipped its most recent patch. Ed Bott at ZDNet asked Microsoft about the issue, and was told:

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One more reason to not use Skype for Linux

URL: http://www.linuxtoday.com/upload/one-more-reason-to-not-use-skype-for-linux-120830070534.html

LinuxBSDos: This should not come as a shock to anybody, considering that Skype is now owned by Microsoft, the anti-Linux and anti-free software company, whose operating system and other software products are riddled with backdoors.

You Can't Bypass the UI Formerly Known As Metro On Windows 8

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/dSUx_NBSAbg/you-cant-bypass-the-ui-formerly-known-as-metro-on-windows-8

colinneagle writes with this excerpt from Network World: "The final build of Windows 8 has already leaked to torrent sites, which is giving the propellerheads a chance to dig through the code. One revelation will probably not sit well with enterprise customers: you can't bypass the don't-call-it-Metro UI. Normally, you have to boot Windows 8 and when the tiled desktop UI (formerly known as Metro) came up, you had to click on one of the boxes to launch Explorer. Prior builds of Windows 8 allowed the user to create a shortcut so you bypass Metro and go straight to the Explorer desktop. Rafael Rivera, co-author of the forthcoming Windows 8 Secrets, confirmed to Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet that Microsoft does indeed block the boot bypass routine from prior builds. He also believes that Microsoft has blocked the ability for administrators to use Group Policy to allow users to bypass the tiled startup screen. There had been hope that Microsoft would at least relent and let corporate users have a bypass, if only for compatibility's sake."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Windows XP e Vista não são compatíveis com Office 2013 - Abril

URL: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHIyGaiJQJyhnp3J3nuNvo8oyagoQ&url=http://exame.abril.com.br/tecnologia/noticias/windows-xp-e-vista-nao-sao-compativeis-com-office-2013

Oficina da Net

Windows XP e Vista não são compatíveis com Office 2013 Abril São Paulo - A Microsoft informou nesta quinta-feira detalhes sobre os requisitos técnicos oficiais para rodar o seu novo pacote de ferramentas de produção, o Office 2013. Os programas vão exigir computadores com um processador de 1 GHz e pelo menos 3 ... Windows XP e Vista não terão suporte ao Office 13JC OnLine Office 2013 trará maior integração com a nuvemInfo Online Primeiras Impressões do Microsoft Office 2013 PreviewIDG Now! Terra Brasil -Gizmodo Brasil todos os 126 artigos »

Developer won't patch XBLA game because Microsoft would charge 'tens of thousands' of dollars

URL: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/19/microsoft-polytron-xbla/

Seeing as how so much software is moving to online distribution, the significance of this controversy might extend far beyond gaming and XBLA. For now, however, the spotlight is firmly on Microsoft and the way it charges developers for testing their games and patches, after a well-known developer made an unusually public complaint. In a post on its official blog, Polytron said it would not patch a rare game-saving bug in its popular title Fez, because Microsoft would charge it "tens of thousands of dollars to re-certify the game." It added that "had Fez been released on Steam instead of XBLA," the problem would have been fixed "right away" and at no cost to the developer, which strongly hints that it'll jump to another platform as soon as its XBLA exclusivity expires. Responses to the story over at our sister site Joystiq are decidedly mixed, with some folks outraged that Microsoft's high maintenance attitude could hold back improvements in this way while others suspect Polytron of blame-shifting.

Filed under: Gaming, Software

Developer won't patch XBLA game because Microsoft would charge 'tens of thousands' of dollars originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 08:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft fix kills Windows Gadgets, warns it could lead to PC hijacks

URL: http://arstechnica.com/security/2012/07/microsoft-fix-kills-windows-gadgets/

Microsoft has warned that a Gadgets feature included in Vista and later versions of Windows could allow attackers to hijack end-user machines and has taken the unusual step of issuing an temporary update that allows it to be completely disabled.

"An attacker who successfully exploited a Gadget vulnerability could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user," company officials said in an advisory issued Tuesday. "If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take complete control of the affected system." To be successful, they added: "An attacker would have to convince a user to install and enable a vulnerable Gadget."

Microsoft added the Gadgets feature and an accompanying Sidebar to Windows Vista in hopes of matching the success Apple had with a similar feature called Dashboard, which is included in Mac OS X. It allows end users to add clocks, stock tickers, and other small apps to their desktops. A few weeks ago, Microsoft pulled the plug on its official Gadgets gallery. The page now includes a warning that says: "Gadgets installed from untrusted sources can harm your computer and can access your computer's files, show you objectionable content, or change their behavior at any time."

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Vírus pode atacar quase 250 mil computadores na segunda-feira

URL: http://exame.abril.com.br/tecnologia/noticias/virus-pode-atacar-quase-250-mil-computadores-na-segunda-feira

Computadores no mundo todo continuam infectados pelo "Alureon", software malicioso usado num golpe, e seus "parentes"

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