Microsoft admits resurgence of worms on PCs; criminals steal money

“We still see rogue security software in high volume but not on the rise,” Microsoft Malware Protection Centre principal architect Jeff Williams told AFP. “What is on the rise is resurgence of worm activity, particularly Conficker and Taterf.

…

Microsoft’s security report is based on data from “billions of scans a day” in more than 200 regions of the world.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/worms-infesting-pcs-worldwide-microsoft-20091103-htsi.html

PC Advisor reviews Snow Leopard Server

We found Snow Leopard Server to be a powerful but simple to use server solution, with the stability and power of Unix, topped with an intuitive interface familiar from Apple’s accessible Mac OS X client operating system. The adoption of open standards, along with a focus on technologies that well support the company’s expanding iPhone platform and media lab technologies, provides useful advantages over competing products. Snow Leopard Server’s extensibility and attractive pricing system alone may seal the deal, especially in education, publishing and media creation settings.

[Note: OS X Server now comes bundled in the new Mac mini server offering, perfect for small- to medium-sized enterprises or even the SOHO.]

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/index.cfm?reviewid=3205121&pn=3

Firefox on Windows open to exploit through Windows patch

Evidently, businesses are not much safer when they insist on using Windows, even if they avoid Internet Explorer and use Firefox:

An add-on that Microsoft silently slipped into Mozilla’s Firefox last February leaves the browser open to attack, Microsoft’s security engineers acknowledged earlier this week.

One of the 13 security bulletins Microsoft released Tuesday affects not only Internet Explorer (IE), but also Firefox, thanks to a Microsoft-made plug-in pushed to Firefox users eight months ago in an update delivered via Windows Update.

“While the vulnerability is in an IE component, there is an attack vector for Firefox users as well,” admitted Microsoft engineers in a post to the company’s Security Research & Defense blog on Tuesday. “The reason is that .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 installs a ‘Windows Presentation Foundation’ plug-in in Firefox.”

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9139459/Sneaky_Microsoft_plug_in_puts_Firefox_users_at_risk

Security columnist agrees: Do not use Windows for business banking

The simplest, most cost-effective answer I know of? Don’t use Microsoft Windows when accessing your bank account online.

I do not offer this recommendation lightly (and at the end of this column you’ll find a link to another column wherein I explain an easy-to-use alternative). But I have interviewed dozens of victim companies that lost anywhere from $10,000 to $500,000 dollars because of a single malware infection. I have heard stories worthy of a screenplay about the myriad ways cyber crooks are evading nearly every security obstacle the banks put in their way.

But regardless of the methods used by the bank or the crooks, all of the attacks shared a single, undeniable common denominator: They succeeded because the bad guys were able to plant malicious software that gave them complete control over the victim’s Windows computer.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/10/avoid_windows_malware_bank_on.html

Apple, Unix/Linux attractive to government because of reliability and ease of use

Gettings said Apple and Unix/Linux are attractive to government customers because of reliability and ease of use. “It just runs,” he said of the Apple platform. “You’re not going to have some of the memory-leak issues that seem to plague different versions of the Windows systems. And mission-critical customers appreciate that … The user interface for Apple is marvelous. It’s so easy to use and intuitive. It’s the hallmark of the platform.”

http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/?p=article&id=ss200910a0EEOE

The Elephant in Walt Mossberg’s Windows 7 Review

Acclaimed computer columnist Walt Mossberg has created a storm of controversy over his generally positive Windows 7 review. However, despite an improved user interface, I feel the biggest question is whether or not the new Windows is secure. Not just more secure (in a relative sense, compared to previous versions of Windows) but actually secure, in an absolute sense.

For business purposes, reliability and safety should be on the top of criteria, even above performance (what good is a fast computer when your data can be lost or stolen?).

If Windows 7 can run software written for Windows XP or even Windows NT, can it also run the same viruses?

Walt’s article is here:

http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20091007/a-windows-to-help-you-forget/

Kai-Fu Lee on China’s tech business landscape

He says the Chinese market needs a more intensive approach in funding entrepreneurs because the education system is poor and company founders lack experience. There also isn’t as strong a financial ecosystem for supporting very young technology ideas.

http://venturebeat.com/2009/09/06/q-a-with-kai-fu-lee-on-building-innovation-works-google-china/