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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2006 MS Windows Flaws Again Targeted by Hackers MS Security Update Needs an Update Appeals Court Supports FCC Rule on High-Speed Lines Encryption for Mobile Phones MS WINDOWS FLAWS AGAIN TARGETED BY HACKERS Security companies have identified a new worm circulating that seeks to take advantage of a flaw in the Windows operating system and allows hackers to use infected computers to send spam. Earlier this month, Microsoft issued a patch for 23 vulnerabilities, including the one that the new worm uses. Because the patch has only been available for a week, however, experts said many computers are likely still at risk for the malicious code. Infected computers can be used as spam proxies--computers that send millions of junk e-mails on behalf of spammers. Many spammers are resorting to this sort of approach because ISPs are increasingly unwilling to host such e-mail campaigns. BBC, 16 August 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4797949.stm MS SECURITY UPDATE NEEDS AN UPDATE Microsoft acknowledged that a patch issued earlier this month for significant flaws in its operating system has led to new problems for some users. Computers that installed the August patch on Windows 2000 or Windows XP machines with Service Pack 1 and Internet Explorer 6 are experiencing browser crashes when they visit Web sites that use HTTP 1.1 and compression. Fred Dunn, a systems administrator at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, said that at his institution, computers with the patch are crashing when users access pages in PeopleSoft applications. The workaround, he said, is to disable the compression in the PeopleSoft applications, which slows performance considerably. Microsoft said that on August 22 it would issue a new patch to replace the patch that is causing these problems. ZDNet, 16 August 2006 http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6106039.html APPEALS COURT SUPPORTS FCC RULE ON HIGH-SPEED LINES A federal appeals court has turned down an appeal of a decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that exempted certain kinds of telecom lines from regulations that require companies to lease access to rivals. A law passed in 1996 forces telecom companies to unbundle local phone networks and allow competitors to buy access to them. The FCC ruled that this requirement should not apply to certain lines, including new fiber-optic lines to residential customers, because requiring such sharing would discourage companies from making investments in this kind of infrastructure. EarthLink challenged the ruling, but the appeals court sided with the FCC, giving a boost to companies including AT&T and Verizon. Wall Street Journal, 16 August 2006 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115569776929237003.html ENCRYPTION FOR MOBILE PHONES A British company said it has developed technology that encrypts transmissions on cell phones, allowing users to make calls with confidence that their conversations cannot be intercepted. One Day Mobile reportedly developed the technology with German company Safe.com and with the military. With the software, which must be installed on cell phones, users can decide which of their calls will be encrypted. Encrypted calls are sent over the data network, however, rather than the voice network, which can result in decreased performance. Voice networks are built to ensure smooth and fast transmission, but using the data network to transfer voice traffic can be slower and bumpier and can impose delays. The Register, 16 August 2006 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/16/mobile_encryption/ ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. To access resources including articles, books, conference sessions, contracts, effective practices, plans, policies, position descriptions, and blog content, go to http://www.educause.edu/resources ***************************************************** CONFERENCES For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking opportunities, see http://www.educause.edu/31 ***************************************************** COPYRIGHT Edupage copyright (c) 2006, EDUCAUSE
