Today's News: Microsoft eats crow to protect users

[SearchWin2000.com]

Title: Windows Week that Was

A newsletter published by TechTarget   August 22, 2003 >> Receive this e-mail as text   >> About this e-mail  ISSUE SPONSORED BY: >>  Executive Software: Diskeeper: Got system speed? >>  SearchWin2000.com: Systems Management / SearchWin2000.com Product and Vendor Guide  Top News of the Week  >>  A plague of worms, a feast of patches SPONSORED BY: Executive Software, makers of Diskeeper Diskeeper: Got system speed? Fragmentation brings busy servers to their knees. Automatic defragmentation helps keep your network fast and stable. See why millions of computer pros swear by Diskeeper Download the free 30-day trialware now!  Week In Review  Microsoft eats crow to protect users by John Hogan, News Editor If the folks at Microsoft responsible for Windows security aren't jumping out of their office windows, it's probably because those windows are secured, a quality they must desperately wish their operating system possessed. OK, maybe that's a cheap shot, but the Lovsan, Sobig-F and Nachi worms that spread like wildfire this week showed that the hole left open in the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) protocol of Windows was big enough to drive a truckload of worms through. Read more of John Hogan's comments on the RPC hole and other important news stories of the week. This week's headlines: >  Microsoft using Linux to protect its own Web site >  Microsoft considers automating updates >  Sobig-F reaching epidemic proportions >  Windows Server 2003 service pack timeframe released >  Analyst: No Longhorn before 2006 SPONSORED BY: SearchWin2000.com Product and Vendor Guide Browse products and vendors in the Systems Management category of the SearchWin2000.com Product and Vendor Guide. You'll find solutions related to disaster recovery, enterprise systems management, remote administration, clustering and more. Click here to browse the Product and Vendor guide.  Survival Tips for the Windows Manager   Windows in the Enterprise: XP administration tools Windows XP comes with a set of local administration tools that, while not always overlooked, are often underrated. While some administrators may be familiar with these tools, many do not realize they exist or are unaware of their powerful new functions. Learn more about Windows XP's Computer Management console, MSINFO32, the system configuration utility, DirectX diagnostic tool and registry editor. Chapter of the Week: 'Group policies' Windows Server 2003 offers extensive control over system configuration and user environments through group policy, but to take full advantage of these controls, you'll need to read a detailed tutorial. The first section of this chapter from the Ultimate Windows Server 2003 System Administrator's Guide introduces group policy concepts. The second section provides a number of implementation examples with ample screen shots and step-by-step explanations to keep you on track. The last section explores the underlying concepts of Microsoft's IntelliMirror, which uses different technologies available in Windows Server to provide more intelligent user interfacing. IT Tool Box: New Microsoft desktop certification? Microsoft is remaining officially mum on the subject, but sources inside and outside the company have recently let slip some details about a supposedly forthcoming new desktop technician certification program. In fact, the new certification program could launch as early as October. This tip, by our certification expert Ed Tittel, describes what the program could mean for enterprise help desk and technical support operations. Poll Results: Windows RPC vulnerability The results for our latest poll on the Windows RPC vulnerability are in. If you think every IT shop took the bug seriously, think again. See who's patching and who's praying. TRUE IT BLOOPERS Oops! True IT blooper #94: The rules of attraction When a PC user learns that refrigerator magnets and computers don't play well together, he has to call a technician to his house to save him from a sticky situation. Have a blooper of your own? Send us your wackiest IT stories. Submit your blooper.  Vent!  Take our weekly poll Microsoft says it may provide a service that automatically installs Windows patches. What do you think of this idea? Click here to vote.   Contact Us   NEWS EDITOR John Hogan [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send me your news, press releases and product announcements. SENIOR SITE EDITOR, SEARCHWIN2000.COM & SEARCHWINDOWSMANAGEABILITY.COM Marilyn Cohodas [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send me your original articles and best practices. SITE EDITOR, SEARCHWIN2000.COM & SEARCHWINDOWSMANAGEABILITY.COM Catherine Ketcher [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send me your bloopers and Featured Topic ideas. SENIOR NEWS WRITER Margie Semilof [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send me your news and story ideas. ASSOCIATE EDITOR Christine Polewarczyk [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send me your ideas for webcasts and discussion day topics. ASSISTANT EDITOR David Pye [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send me your tips and your true IT bloopers. ASSISTANT EDITOR Will Hurwitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send me your favorite Web sites and white papers. A B O U T   T H I S   N E W S L E T T E R This newsletter is published by TechTarget, the most targeted IT media. Copyright 2003 TechTarget. All rights reserved. To unsubscribe from "Windows Week that Was":   -  Reply to this e-mail with REMOVE in the Subject line OR   -  Go to unsubscribe and enter your e-mail address to cancel your subscription Please note, unsubscribe requests may take up to 24 hours to process; you may receive additional mailings during that time. A confirmation e-mail will be sent when your request has been successfully processed.