Forum Moderators: phranque
Flaw in Microsoft VM Could Enable System Compromise
Who should read this bulletin: Customers using Microsoft® Windows®.
Why We Are Issuing This UpdateA set of security issues has been identified in the Microsoft® Virtual Machine (Microsoft VM), which enables Java programs to run on Microsoft Windows®. The most serious of these issues could enable a Web site to compromise your system and take actions such as changing data, loading and running programs, and reformatting the hard disk. You can help protect your computer by installing this update.
Additional, but less dramatic security flaws were also announced, more info is here [extremetech.com].
It states in part:
Some of these flaws have been known, at least to some extent, to hackers for several months.
The patch for this security hole is already two days old, in the land of MS, that makes this OLD news ;)
I just installed another one for IE 5.5 along with the VW thing. M$ recommended me to install both IE 5.5 and IE 6 service packs at the same time. It keeps bugging me every day for critcal updates for IE 6 wich I dont have installed. Can anyone tell me how to kill IE 6 service pack notifications?
But I am on win 98 (french). I see nothing in the control panels. Whathever I set the "Planned tasks" (hope this makes sense) to monthly checks it reverts to daily checks.
I use Opera (and the Sun VM) daily. But I still felt it was prudent to update the M$ VM. IF my system somehow reverts to the M$ VM, perhaps by removing Opera or an M$ update, I don't want this "security hole" opened. It's a bad one!
If you want to switch to the Sun VM, it can be downloaded at [java.sun.com...]
I'm afraid of updates. I updated one of my computers last year and was horrified when Windows could no longer load up because it couldn't find the hard drive. That "update" crippled my machine.
Ever since then I've been leery of Windows updates.
P.S. I know a bunch of folks here don't use IE, but many of your customers do and if they can't see your Java, they are not going to blame MS.
Which version of Windows did you update?
Don't know on a MAC, but in Windows go to: Start > Settings > Control Panel > Automatic Updates and check "Turn off automatic Updating."
Macguru - the suggestion WAS for Windows 98. I wouldn't know why a french version would be any different.
I finally got Java working again on my Windows 98 se computer at home. I had mentioned earlier that all Java had stopped working after I installed the Windows VM update. I installed that same update on a laptop computer with the same operating system and the Java on that computer didn't stop working. Who knows why. What I did on the computer where all Java stopped is to download the Windows VM Java package from the folks at Sun and installed it into my computer. Java is working again. I just hope that it is secure.
