charney

Microsoft to fix 49 holes in Windows, IE, Office, and .NET

Microsoft will fix a record 49 vulnerabilities in its Patch Tuesday release next week that will involve 16 security bulletins affecting Windows, Internet Explorer, Office, and the .NET framework.

Four of the bulletins carry a "critical" rating, 10 are rated "important," and two are "moderate," according to the advisory.

They affect specifically Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 and 2008, Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3, Office 2003 Service Pack 3, Office 2007 Service Pack 2, Office 2010, Office 2004 for Mac and 2008 for Mac, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, SharePoint … Read more

Microsoft exec: Infected PCs should be quarantined (Q&A)

SAN FRANCISCO--In his keynote at the RSA security conference on Tuesday, Scott Charney, Microsoft's corporate vice president of Trustworthy Computing, suggested that the security industry should follow the health care model of quarantining infected PCs to prevent them from being used to send spam and conduct denial-of-service attacks.

In a follow-up interview afterward, Charney elaborated on his vision for reducing the damage from botnets and explains how infected computers should be kept off the Internet just like doctors quarantine sick people and smokers are restricted as to where they can light up in public.

Q: So you teased us … Read more

Microsoft, Germans working on electronic ID card prototype

SAN FRANCISCO--Microsoft released its new identity management software at the RSA conference on Tuesday and is working on a prototype national ID card system in Germany that is designed to give consumers control over the amount of personal data they share with specific organizations.

German citizens will be using new electronic cards starting in November and the prototype project using Microsoft technology is being developed in order to roll out a pilot project in the same time frame, Scott Charney, corporate vice president of Trustworthy Computing at Microsoft, said in his keynote.

Microsoft is working with the Fraunhofer Institute for … Read more