Security news11 June 2008
Microsoft users told to patch now, as critical security flaws revealed Windows users at risk from security vulnerabilities
Three of the security bulletins have been rated as critical by Microsoft.
Experts at Sophos have advised companies to keep up-to-date with the latest Microsoft security patches and consider the benefits of Network Access Control (NAC) in light of the announcement of critical security flaws affecting the Windows operating system.
As part of its monthly "Patch Tuesday" schedule Microsoft has issued a number of new bulletins (three of them described as "critical") about security vulnerabilities in its software. The vulnerabilities affect versions of the Windows operating system and Internet Explorer.
Sophos recommends that organizations roll-out the patches as a matter of urgency, as some of them could enable hackers to access data on a vulnerable PC or run malicious code such as a worm.
Network Access Control enables companies to control who and what is allowed onto their network; blocking unauthorized users, controlling guest access, and ensuring compliance with a business's security policy. By implementing NAC firms reduce the risk of unauthorized, guest, non-compliant, or infected systems compromising the network, ensuring that only correctly secured computers gain network access.
"NAC identifies managed, unmanaged and guest computers that do not comply with your security policy, and acts a vital tool when dealing with newly reported security vulnerabilities such as these," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "For instance, you can quickly tell which of your company's computers are incorrectly patched or have the firewall disabled. You can then choose to automatically fix vulnerabilities before allowing the PCs to access your network, or simply block non-compliant computers. Whether your company is running NAC or not, it's important to take these latest security bulletins from Microsoft seriously and ensure that your business is properly protected."
Home users of Microsoft Windows can visit update.microsoft.com to have their systems scanned for Microsoft security vulnerabilities.
Sophos suggests 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.
- Network Access Control (NAC) - How compliant are your computers?
- Listen to a podcast about Network Access Control
Sophos continues to recommend companies protect their desktops and servers with automatically updated protection against viruses, spyware, hackers, and spam.
Free virus scan
- Free virus, spyware, and adware scan
- Test your existing anti-virus protection
- Find threats your anti-virus missed
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.
