15 Dec 2004
Microsoft issues important security updates, Sophos advises customers to patch now
 |
| Microsoft has issued a number of important
security updates. |
Microsoft has issued a batch of security fixes for users of
Microsoft Windows. The software company has rated the patches as
"important" (its second highest level of severity), and recommended
that affected customers apply the updates at the "earliest possible
opportunity".
The security vulnerabilities reportedly fixed by the fixes,
could allow viruses, worms or remote hackers to run malicious code
on a vulnerable computer.
"Everyone who uses Microsoft's software should ensure they are
keeping up-to-date with the regular security patches - before they
are exploited by hackers and virus writers," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "Anyone who keeps their head in
the sand about these security issues is leaving themselves
dangerously exposed."
Home users of Microsoft Windows can visit windowsupdate.microsoft.com to have their systems
scanned for critical Microsoft security vulnerabilities.
Earlier this month, Microsoft issued advice and protection
against a critical security hole in its Internet Explorer software
that had already been exploited by the Bofra worm.
Sophos recommends that every IT manager responsible for security
should consider subscribing to vulnerability mailing lists such as
that operated by Microsoft at www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/notify.mspx.
Sophos continues to recommend companies protect their desktops
and servers with automatically updated
anti-virus protection.
About Sophos
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.