Cursor hole puts Windows PCs at risk

A new security vulnerability puts Windows users at risk of serious cyberattacks, Microsoft warned late Wednesday.

The vulnerability affects all recent Windows versions, including Vista, which Microsoft has promoted heavily for its security. The operating system software is flawed in the way it handles animated cursors, Microsoft said in a security advisory.

An attacker could exploit the vulnerability through a Web page or e-mail message with rigged computer code, Microsoft said.

"Upon viewing a Web page, previewing or reading a specially crafted message, or opening a specially crafted e-mail attachment, the attacker could cause the affected system to execute code," Microsoft said in its advisory.

Such holes are often exploited by cybercrooks to do "drive-by" installations of malicious software. Spyware and remote control tools that turn PCs into drones for the attacker are silently loaded onto vulnerable computers by tricking people to visit a rigged Web site or hacking a trusted site. The Web site for the Super Bowl stadium suffered a recent example of a drive-by attack.

Sample code that demonstrates the vulnerability has already been posted on the Web, McAfee said in a security alert sent to customers. "Malware exploiting this vulnerability has been observed in the wild," the security company said in the alert.

Other security experts also raised an alarm. "I expect attackers will pick up on this as soon as they figure out how to, we'll very shortly see the usual suspects using it," said Roger Thompson, chief technology officer at security software maker Exploit Prevention Labs. "The sample site is already offline; this could be a prelude to a bigger attack."

Animated cursors allow a mouse pointer to appear animated. The animated-cursors feature is designated by the .ani suffix, but a successful attack is not constrained by this file type, Microsoft said. As a result, simply blocking such files won't protect a PC.

The exposure to attacks that exploit the flaw is mitigated on Vista machines with Internet Explorer 7, Microsoft noted. IE 7 protected mode shields the computer against drive-by installations because the browser is restricted to where it can write files.

[befuddledms]

News Flash

It was reported today that all Windows PCs have a vulnerability that can allow a malicious user to take over that PC. The vulnerability is enabled by turning on the PC....

[WO Dood]

The most SECURE Operating System!!!

Thank God Microsoft Vista is more secure than my Apple Mac OS X
systems.

Otherwise I might be worried that my computer could be hijacked
and used as a spambot.

Or my identity could my stolen.

But then again, I use Apple OS X to avoid these problems.

[nelzp0929]

Just as vulnerable

You're living in a dream world. How's that mega patch doing.

http://news.com.com/Apple+megapatch+plugs+45+security+holes/2100-1002_3-6166971.html

[n3td3v]

the usual suspects

the usual suspects, ah, right. like cnet readers know what you mean by that... cheers, thanks, yours, n3td3v.

[Penguinisto]

Welcome to Windows...

...where even your freakin' MOUSE CURSOR can get you r machine compromised...

(such news has gotta be humiliating, even for Windows).

/P

[Heebee Jeebies]

Is Microsoft so far gone...

They can't even secure something as simple and mundane as the cursor. Is this a joke or are we all the fools?

Robert

[Stating]

10 Years Ago It Was Screensavers

Ten years ago the computer infection making the rounds was the .scr exploit. So here we are today and now it is cursors.

Hacker heaven here I come...
Right back where I started from...
Na na na na na na na, na na na na na

[WJeansonne]

Which is it?

You save Windows Vista is vulnerable up front in the article, but then retract the statement more or less at the end of the article by saying IE 7 protects you from it.

[jimothyGator]

Quite well, thanks for asking

I'll take a patched, not exploited system over a not-yet-patched,
already exploited system any day, thankyouverymuch.

[rocwoof]

So much for Vista's "new" security design?

I have not followed Vista too closely (my "upgrade" from XP is Linux), but as part of my effort to keep up with desktop computing in general (friends/family always asking for help/advice , it was my understanding that Vista was supposed to have been developed from the ground up with a new security model. Since this exploit affects all versions from Windows 2000 and up, it seems at least some parts are "legacy" code with it attendant inherited vulnerabilities.

Marketspeak strikes again :-{