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[Fixed] Windows Update Blocks Internet Access for Some
12/16/2016

Microsoft continues to struggle to update (patch) Windows 10 without causing problems for some users.  (Remember the problem back in Octobers, which put many PCs into a never ending reboot cycle?)  Some Windows 10 users are experiencing difficulty connecting to the internet after installing this month's patch. (I have also seen reports of some Windows 7 users having this problem.)  I am working with one customer now that has been affected by this problem.

 The update causing the issue seems to be KB3201845, which includes 11 bug fixes.  (In Windows 10 and now also Windows 7, Microsoft releases one patch integrating a lot of fixes each month instead of the prior methodology of releasing individual patches for each bug fix.  So, it is difficult to block installation of a patch that causes severe problems.) 

Free Upgrade to Windows 10 Ends in a Little Over a Week
07/20/2016

The free Windows 10 upgrade offer ends on July 29 and will not be extended.  After then, Windows 10 Home will cost $119 and Windows 10 Pro will cost $199.

Microsoft pushed out an update to GWX with a great big countdown clock to prod Windows 7 and 8.x users into action.

Making Passwords That Are Easy for You to Remember but Difficult for Others to Guess
06/29/2015

A password should be something that only you know so that when you present the password it proves your identity.  But if passwords are easy for others to guess, they can claim to be you and present the password to “prove” they are you.

Security Warning: Patch for Adobe Flash Player Vulnerability Being Exploited in The Wild
6/23/2015

Adobe released a so called "out of band" patch for Flash Player to remove a vulnerability that is being actively exploited in the wild via large scale, targeted attacks against specific industries.  Google Chrome browser and Windows 8 and later include Flash Player built-in.  They will need to be updated separately.

Windows Server 2003 End of Support Date
5/01/2015

eBay Password Reset Phishing Emails
5/24/2014

eBay Asks All Users to Change Password After Hack Attack
5/21/2014

PCI-DSS v3.0 Standard Published Today
11/07/2013

Today the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) published updated payment security standards PCI Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) version 3.0.

Windows XP and Office 2003 End of Support Date
11/05/2013

Microsoft Security Patches in MS13-061 Break Exchange 2013
8/15/2013

On August 13th, Microsoft released eight security bulletins.  One of those bulletins (MS13-061), which contains KB articles 2874216 with a patch, is causing content index for mailbox databases to fail on Exchange 2013 servers, which prevents Exchange e-mail users from searching their mailboxes.

If you allow Windows Automatic Update to install patches soon after Microsoft releases them, you are accepting the risk that those patches will ... read more >>>

System Administrators Appreciation Day (SAAD)
7/26/2013

Microsoft Security Patches in MS13-057 Break WMV file Rendering
7/15/2013

On July 9th, Microsoft released seven security bulletins and thirty four KB articles containing patches.  One of those bulletins (MS13-57), which contains six KB articles with patches, is causing problems with video playback of WMV files.  Reports of a black box across half of the frame have been seen.  Specifically referenced in reports of the problems are KB2803821 and kb2834904; however, we suspect that all six of the patches in this security bulletin, KB2845142, KB2803821, KB2834902, KB2834903, KB2834904, and KB2834905 have the problem.

We recommend ... read more >>>

Security Warning:  Vulnerability in Internet Explorer Being Actively Exploited in Targeted Attack
9/19/2012 Updated 9/21/2012

A vulnerability in Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8, and Internet Explorer 9 is being actively exploited in a targeted attack to install the Poison Ivy backdoor Trojan horse program that hackers use to steal data or take remote control of PCs.

Log on with a ... read more >>>

Security Warning:  Emma Watson Tops 2012’s Most Dangerous Celebrities List #riskyceleb
9/10/2012

Searches for Emma Watson, best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movie series, yield nearly a one-in-eight chance of landing on a website that has tested positive for spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses or other malicious content according to McAfee's 6th annual Most Dangerous Celebrities™ research report.

The top 10 riskiest celebrities to search for ... read more >>>

Security Warning:   Mass SQL Injection Attack Targets ASP.NET Sites
10/24/2011

Hackers have successfully planted malicious JavaScript on about 180,000 web pages that are built on the Microsoft ASP.Net platform.  The malicious script is using a so called "drive-by download" that does not require any user action (no need to open a file or click on a link) other than visiting a webpage that has been injected.  Web sites that you know and trust might have been affected.  The attacks take advantage of ...  read more >>>

Security Warning:  Unpatched Vulnerability in MHTML Being Exploited
3/11/2011

A vulnerability in the Windows implementation of HTML that was first reported at the end of January is now being actively exploited in very targeted attacks.  A patch for this vulnerability is not yet available and it might require that websites install a patch.  For now, the best protection is to ...  read more >>>

Microsoft Office 365
10/20/2010

Microsoft debuted an enhanced version of their cloud-based office productivity suite called Office 365 on Tuesday, October 19, 2010. Microsoft announced that they are added Office Web Apps, cloud versions of their desktop productivity suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.  With those addition and the addition of public web sites, Microsoft renamed the suite Office 365.  Office 365 also replaces Office Live Small Business. 

In response to questions about whether Office Web Apps really run in the cloud and what happens when you do not have Internet access, Microsoft responded ... read more >>>

ITPS Approved as Lenovo Solution Partner-Reseller
10/19/2010

Security Warning:  Emergency Patch for Microsoft ASP.NET Oracle Padding Vulnerability (MS10-070)
9/28/2010

Microsoft released a so called "out of band" patch to fix a vulnerability in Microsoft ASP.NET that could potentially disclose sensitive information.

An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could read any file within the ASP.NET application, including the web server configuration information, even if it was encrypted by the server. 

With any vulnerability that prompts an out-of-band patch, it is extremely critical that you address the vulnerability as soon as possible if you have vulnerable systems, but ... read more >>>

Security Warning:  Emergency Patch for Adobe Reader/Acrobat Vulnerability
8/19/2010

Adobe released an emergency patch to fix three vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader and Acrobat:  (1) An integer overflow vulnerability related to how the software parses fonts, (2) a social engineering attack, and (3) Adobe Reader and Acrobat include a vulnerable version of Adobe Flash Player.  

If you are relying on only Microsoft Update to keep your PC up-to-date ... read more >>>

Security Warning: Critical Vulnerability in Adobe Flash, AIR, Reader, and Acrobat
6/10/2010

A vulnerability affecting Adobe Flash is being actively exploited on the Internet. Adobe Flash Player and other Adobe applications that include the Flash runtime, such as Adobe Reader 9 and Acrobat 9, are also affected. 

Enabling Automatic Updates in Windows will not get the patch for Flash Player (non-Microsoft products) installed. You can configure ...  read more >>>

McAfee DAT 5958  Causing Windows XP Systems to Become Unusable
4/20/2010

A false positive malware detection in McAfee DAT version 5958.0000 released on April 21, 2010  6:00 AM PDT (UTC -7) can cause Windows XP systems to become unresponsive, lose network connectivity, get stuck in a restart loop, and become difficult to use (lose task bar, lose icons, access denied, etc.).

Because the systems lose network connectivity, an IT person will have to ... read more >>>

Oracle Releases Emergency Patch for Java Deployment Toolkit Vulnerability
4/15/2010

A vulnerability in the Java Runtime Environment is being actively exploited on the Internet.  The vulnerability was publicly disclosed on Friday, April 9th after Oracle (which recently purchased Sun Micro Systems, the maker of Java) said that they would not make ...  read more >>>

Microsoft to Release Out-Of-Band Patch for Internet Explorer on January 21st
1/20/2010

Security Warning: Adobe Reader and Acrobat Vulnerability Being Exploited
12/21/2009

An un-patched vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat (for reading and creating PDF documents) is being actively exploited on the Internet.  Adobe is not planning to release a patch until ...  read more >>>

Windows  Automatic Update or Microsoft Update web site getting Error 403 - Access Forbidden
12/11/2009

When using Automatic Update or the Windows/Microsoft Update web site, you might received the error "403 - Access forbidden - You do not have permission to view this directory or page using the credentials that you supplied."  We are seeing many reports of people getting this error since yesterday.

ITPS Accepted into Microsoft Online Service Provider Program
7/28/2009

IT Professional Services (ITPS) announced today that it has been accepted into the Microsoft Online Service Provider and Forefront Online Security for Exchange programs.  ITPS is now also a Communications Sector Partner has been granted permission to sell to Qualified Educational End User at a highly discounted price.  IT Professional Services and Microsoft signed a Services Provider Licensing Agreement (SPLA) to seal the deal.

"Being accepted as a Microsoft Online Service Provider is an honor and significant achievement," said Darryl Roberts, President of IT Professional Services.  "Being a member of the program gives us the ability to offer services to our customers with ..."  read more >>>

Security Watch: Microsoft Out-of-Band Patches for ATL
7/28/2009

Microsoft released two security bulletins today--one Internet Explorer bulletin and one Visual Studio bulletin--in a so called Out-of-Band release (outside their normal schedule of the second Tuesday of each month).  We previously warned that the flaw in Microsoft Video ActiveX control is deeper than the patch in Microsoft security bulletin MS09-032. These two security bulletins address that deeper flaw.

Security Warning: Vulnerable Adobe Flash Being Exploited in The Wild
7/26/2009

A vulnerability affecting Adobe Flash is being actively exploited in limited, targeted attacks on the Internet. Adobe Flash Player and other Adobe applications that include the Flash runtime, such as Adobe Reader 9 and Acrobat 9, are also affected. There is currently no vendor patch available.

Security Watch: Vulnerability in Microsoft Video ActiveX Deeper Than Current Fix
Updated 7/24/2009

The vulnerability in the Microsoft Video ActiveX control that is being exploited on the Internet, which we previously warned about, and for which Microsoft released security bulletin MS09-032 on so-called Patch Tuesday in July, goes deeper than most people realized.  Microsoft announced that they are planning an out-of-band security update that we are assuming is to fix this vulnerability, not just avoid it as the previous patch did.

Security Warning: Vulnerability in Microsoft Office Web Components Control Being Exploited in The Wild
7/14/2009

Since yesterday, IT Professional Services has been monitoring a vulnerability in Microsoft Office Web Components Control that is being exploited on the Internet.  Yesterday the SANS Internet Storm Center raised the Infocon threat level status to yellow for 24 hours to raise awareness of active exploitation of the Office Web Components ActiveX vulnerability.  So far we know of a couple hundred web sites (mostly in China (.cn)) that are hosting this exploit, but we expect ... read more >>>

Security Warning: Vulnerable Microsoft Video ActiveX Control Being Exploited in The Wild
Updated 7/14/2009

On so-called Patch Tuesday in July Microsoft released security bulletin MS09-032 with a patch for a vulnerability in a Microsoft Video ActiveX Control (msVidCtl) that is being actively exploited on the Internet through drive-by downloads.  Initially, there were limited in-the-wild attacks; however, the vulnerability is now being exploited to a greater extent, and exploit code has been publicly published (making it easier for more use of the exploit).  Currently the vulnerability is mostly being exploited by web sites in China where thousands of hacked web sites have the malicious code added.  Many of these web sites would not be considered irreputable.  The web sites appear to have been compromised using an exploit kit.  The scope of this attack is likely to increase.

ActiveX control are one of the top targets of malicious web exploit toolkit developers. ... read more >>>

Security Warning: New Variant Conflicker Worm to Activate on April 1
3/20/2009

The Conflicker worm is the most prolific malicious software ("malware") to appear since the SQL Slammer worm epidemic of 2003.  Researchers claim that today 1 in every 16 PCs across the world is affected by Conflicker Worm and the worm had now infected an estimated 12 million or more PCs worldwide.

A new variant (C) of the Conflicker worm was discovered on March 6, 2009.  Researchers have found that the worm is set to take some action on April 1st ...  read more >>>

Tricks that Could Potentially Open Up Your Computer to Attacks by Malicious Software
9/30/2008

A recent study conducted by North Carolina State University psychology researchers found that most Internet users are susceptible to tricks that could potentially open them up to attacks by malicious software.

A common way that bad guys try to ... read more >>>

Just Say "No" to E-Cards
8/8/2008

Most people never consider the dangers of e-cards, and unfortunately, there are plenty of dangers. Since there are quite a few e-card scams going around right now, we want to help you make sure you don't become an e-card scam victim.

We recommend... read more >>>