Network Security Roundup for August 22, 2003

E-Commerce Times: Critical IE Flaws Add to Windows Headache
21-Aug-03 15:03 ET

Story Highlights:
"Microsoft has released yet another security bulletin, this time for several vulnerabilities that affect its ubiquitous Internet Explorer Web browser and related e-mail and news applications, such as Outlook and Outlook Express. The company has rated the flaws as critical."

Full Story on E-Commerce Times

PCWorld: Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Ponders Patching Possibilities

Story Highlights:
"In the wake of a widespread Internet worm, Microsoft is weighing options to get more users to secure their computers, including automatically applying security patches to PCs remotely. 'We are looking at a range of options to get critical updates on more systems, from finding ways to encourage more people to keep their systems up to date themselves to where it is done automatically by default for certain users,' said Matt Pilla, senior product manager for Windows at Microsoft."

Full Story on PubName

Story Highlights:
"A spammer could be behind SoBig.F, the fastest growing computer virus , according to an Internet analyst. The virus has infected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide and cost an estimated $50 million in damages in the U.S. alone."

Full Story on CNN

Story Highlights:
"Computer security experts Friday were frantically racing to find and switch off 20 home computers thought to be targeted by a massive attack of the Sobig.F virus, which has already wreaked havoc with users by becoming the fastest e-mail outbreak ever seen."

Full Story on MSNBC

Story Highlights:
"A security flaw in the Oracle9i Release 2 database could be exploited by "a knowledgeable and malicious user" to launch a denial-of-service attack or capture an active user session of the database server, Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) said in a security alert issued this week."

Full Story on InformationWeek