-------------------- September 15, 2004 -------------------- Quick! A Patch for Pickled Pixels It's patch time again for Microsoft Windows XP users, even for those who just installed Service Pack 2, the mammoth software security update Microsoft released last month for its estimated 200 million XP users worldwide. Microsoft on Tuesday urged XP users to download a free software update for their computers to guard against a "critical" security flaw in the way the operating system processes JPEG digital image files, the same image format commonly used on most Web sites. Microsoft said an attacker could use the flaw to install viruses on or take complete control over XP machines whose users visit a Web site that has been seeded with a specially crafted image. The software hole also could allow hackers to embed infected images in e-mail which could drop their viral payload on vulnerable machines after the recipient merely opens the infected message. Microsoft says it fixed this problem with the release of Service Pack 2 (SP2). So those users who have already installed the massive update shouldn't have to worry, right? Not exactly: See, the same security hole also is present in dozens of other Microsoft products, including its popular Office productivity suite - the program bundle that includes Microsoft Word and Excel. Windows XP users who visit the Windows Update - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E10E52949E17F3F58158D0 site will be prompted to install a program that searches their computers for applications that may be vulnerable to the new security hole. That tool should then direct users to download the corresponding patches for any vulnerable apps it finds. One of SP2's features is that it turns on Microsoft's automatic update service that downloads and installs Windows patches shortly after they are made available. If you have already installed SP2, it should soon begin downloading the new tool. XP users who do not have SP2 installed or do not have their PCs set to receive and install Microsoft updates automatically can get the latest patches - including Service Pack 2 -- at the update site. Computers powered by versions of Windows older than XP -- such as Windows 2000, Windows ME, NT 4.0 and Windows 95 - are not affected by this flaw. --Brian Krebs - [EMAIL PROTECTED] , washingtonpost.com Staff Writer You Know Summer Is Over When ... Congress dusted off the beach sand and got down to business in a hurry last week, kick-starting the legislative process in what promises to be an eventful run-up to the November elections. Technology measures loomed large in lawmakers' first week back as the powerful House Judiciary Committee passed - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E11E42949E17F3F58158D0 a pair of measures targeting "spyware" and online piracy. Spyware -- a catchall term for parasitic software that surreptitiously monitors a computer user's online activities -- rocketed onto congressional radar screens this year after a series of hearings demonstrated the exponential growth of the problem. The House alone is considering no fewer than three measures intended to stamp it out, including one that passed the Commerce Committee last year. The bill approved last week goes a step further than other approaches, making it a crime to install monitoring software on people's computers without their express permission. The Judiciary Committee also voted to criminalize the sharing of more than 1,000 copyrighted songs over peer-to-peer services like Kazaa or eDonkey. First-time violators could be jailed up to five years. Court Nixes Child Porn Law A federal court last week struck down - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E18E72949E17F3F58158D0 a Pennsylvania law that required Internet service providers to block access to sites containing child pornography. Because ISPs will often use the same overarching Internet address for several sites, providers say it's difficult to comply without also cordoning off legitimate operators. Although 400 child porn sites had been blocked under the law, so too had more than 1 million non-offending sites. --David McGuire - [EMAIL PROTECTED] , washingtonpost.com Staff Writer -------------------- Advertisement Get your news just the way you like it. - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E19E62949E17F3F58158D0 Add your favorite columnists and topics to a washingtonpost.com newsletter delivered to your in-box each morning. It's a free and easy way to make sure you never miss a thing. Personalize your e-mail today - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E14E12949E17F3F58158D0 and enjoy customized articles tomorrow. -------------------- STAYING SAFE ONLINE Computer Naivete Costs a Bundle - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E15E02949E17F3F58158D0 A comment from my daughter marked the start of a large headache, one that launched an odyssey that has taken $800 and roughly 48 man-hours over nearly three weeks to end. – By Kathleen Day A Digital Doctor Treats Computer Contamination - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E12E32949E17F3F58158D0 Take Care to Guard Your Windows - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E13E22949E17F3F58158D0 Computer Users Need a Good Backup Plan - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E11ED2949E17F3F58158D0 Skepticism Is the Message for E-Mail - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E12EC2949E17F3F58158D0 When to Leave What Closed - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E19EF2949E17F3F58158D0 Geek Speak - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E10EE2949E17F3F58158D0 More News and Features AT THE FCC Government Hungry for TV's Airwaves - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E16E92949E17F3F58158D0 (Post, Sept. 10) COPYRIGHT IN THE DIGITAL AGE 'F' Is for File Sharing: Area Colleges Strive to Curtail Illegal Downloads - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E17E82949E17F3F58158D0 (washingtonpost.com, Sept. 9) SECURITY WATCH Schools Weather PC Onslaught - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E13EB2949E17F3F58158D0 (washingtonpost.com, Sept. 13) E-VOTING UPDATE Custody of Voting Machine Argued in Montgomery Court - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E14EA2949E17F3F58158D0 (Post, Sept. 15) PRIVACY WATCH Privacy Complaint Against Airline Dismissed - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E09152949E17F3F58158D0 (Post, Sept. 15) GOVERNMENT IT BAE Systems Unit to Buy DigitalNet - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E00142949E17F3F58158D0 (Post, Sept. 13) MORE RESOURCES FOR PROTECTING YOUR COMPUTER How to Avoid the Latest 'MyDoom' Worm - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E07172949E17F3F58158D0 (July 26, 2004) How to Remove the 'Sasser' Worm - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E08162949E17F3F58158D0 (May 11, 2004) Don't Pass on the Patches - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E03112949E17F3F58158D0 (April 19, 2004) Fine-Tuning Your Firewall - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E04102949E17F3F58158D0 (April 5, 2004) How to Deal With Spyware - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E01132949E17F3F58158D0 (March 28, 2004) Is Your Computer Infected With Phatbot? - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E02122949E17F3F58158D0 (March 17, 2004) Cybersecurity and You: Five Tips Every Consumer Should Know - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E001D2949E17F3F58158D0 (May 16, 2003) A Cybersecurity Primer: Links and Resources for Computer Users - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E011C2949E17F3F58158D0 -------------------- Tech Policy E-Letter Archive Feds Sting Movie Pirates - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E081F2949E17F3F58158D0 (Sept. 1, 2004) Ashcroft vs. the Scam Artists - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E091E2949E17F3F58158D0 (Aug. 25, 2004) Service Pack With a Smile - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E05192949E17F3F58158D0 (Aug. 18, 2004) More Stories - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E06182949E17F3F58158D0 -------------------- Tech Policy Section Main Page - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E021B2949E17F3F58158D0 Cybercrime - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E031A2949E17F3F58158D0 Cybersecurity - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E01052949E17F3F58158D0 Digital Rights/Piracy - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E02042949E17F3F58158D0 E-Politics - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E09072949E17F3F58158D0 FCC / Telecom Policy - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E00062949E17F3F58158D0 Government IT - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E05012949E17F3F58158D0 Internet Governance / ICANN - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E06002949E17F3F58158D0 Internet Taxes - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E03032949E17F3F58158D0 Privacy - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E04022949E17F3F58158D0 Spam - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E020D2949E17F3F58158D0 Politics Politics and Campaigns News - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E030C2949E17F3F58158D0 Terry Neal: Talking Points - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E000F2949E17F3F58158D0 Dan Froomkin: White House Briefing - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E010E2949E17F3F58158D0 Howard Kurtz: Media Notes - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E07092949E17F3F58158D0 Stephen Barr: Federal Diary - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E08082949E17F3F58158D0 National Security - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E040B2949E17F3F58158D0 Bush Administration - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E050A2949E17F3F58158D0 Supreme Court - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E05352949E17F3F58158D0 Federal Page - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E06342949E17F3F58158D0 Editorials/Op-Eds - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E03372949E17F3F58158D0 -------------------- E-Mail Newsletter Services To sign up for additional newsletters or get help, visit the E-mail Preferences Page - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E04362949E17F3F58158D0 To unsubscribe, visit the E-mail Preferences Page - http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W8RT0443E09312949E17F3F58158D0 (do not reply to this e-mail). 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