Plug a Windows XP Copy Protection Hole
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft reports "limited" attacks on Windows XP systems via an unexpected
| path exploiting a security hole in a copy protection program that comes with
| XP. (Windows Vista is not at risk.)
|
| The program that attackers are leveraging is Macrovision's SafeDisc,
| optical-disc copy prevention software for Windows applications and games. The
| flaw is located in a system driver file called secdrv.sys. Microsoft
| immediately issued a Security Advisory.
`----
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,140862/article.html
Not surprisingly:
Information security breaches quadrupled in 2007
,----[ Quote ]
| The figures represent a fourfold increase on the organisation's estimate of
| 20m lost records in 2006. Increased reporting of breaches as well as greater
| volumes of data are among the factors accounting for the rise, AP reports.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/02/data_breaches_skyrocket/
Watching Windows zombies:
Infoworld: Malware Honeypots to Relaunch in '08
,----[ Quote ]
| Unlike more traditional OS-level or SMTP-based honeypot applications --
| systems designed to collect individual malware samples for subsequent
| examination by anti-virus researchers -- the WASC project utilizes a network
| of 14 specially-configured open proxy servers (or proxypots) to monitor
| traffic for nefarious activities carried out by everyone from botnet herders
| to adware purveyors.
`----
http://www2.csoonline.com/blog_view.html?CID=33417
About the second and third, I think that both were mentioned before, but they
still reach new sites.
Related:
Macrovision update plugs zero-day DRM exploit
,----[ Quote
| The flaw, though Symantec wasn't specific on this, involves a privilege
| elevation bug in Macrovision secdrv.sys driver that comes bundled with
| Windows XP and 2003 (though not Windows Vista).
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/06/macrovision_drm_update/
DRM in Windows Vista
,----[ Quote ]
| Windows Vista includes an array of "features" that you don't want.
| These features will make your computer less reliable and less secure.
| They'll make your computer less stable and run slower. They will
| cause technical support problems. They may even require you to
| upgrade some of your peripheral hardware and existing software.
| And these features won't do anything useful. In fact, they're
| working against you. They're digital rights management (DRM)
| features built into Vista at the behest of the entertainment
| industry.
|
| And you don't get to refuse them.
`----
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/02/drm_in_windows.html
Microsoft Tells Apple To Stop Complaining About DRM
http://www.podcastingnews.com/2007/04/13/microsoft-apple-drm/
Golden Rant : Microsoft DRM's gone too far
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft appears to have hit the wrong button on its critical
| Windows XP download service late last month, pretty well forcing
| every XP user to upgrade to Windows Media Player (WiMP) 11 if
| they (like me and many others) have the automatic download/install
| option enabled for critical updates.
`----
http://securityblog.itproportal.com/?p=712
The Longest Suicide Note in History
,----[ Quote ]
| Gutmann: The genie's out of the bottle before the operating system has even
| been released! But that doesn't mean Vista users in particular - and
| the computer community at large - won't end up paying for Microsoft's
| DRM folly. At the risk of repeating myself repeating myself, yet
| another reason to move to Linux.
`---- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://blogs.pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/tux-love/2007/01/the_longest_suicide_note_in_hi.html
Vista prevents users from playing high-def content, researcher says
,----[ Quote ]
| While Microsoft’s intent is to protect commercial content, home movies are
| increasingly being shot in high definition, Gutmann said. Many users are
| finding they can’t play any content if it’s considered “premium.”
|
| “This is not commercial HD content being blocked, this is the users’ own
| content,” Gutmann said. “The more premium content you have, the more output
| is disabled.”
`----
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/080907-vista-high-def.html
The Longest Suicide Note in History
,----[ Quote ]
| Gutmann: The genie's out of the bottle before the operating system has even
| been released! But that doesn't mean Vista users in particular - and
| the computer community at large - won't end up paying for Microsoft's
| DRM folly. At the risk of repeating myself repeating myself, yet
| another reason to move to Linux.
`---- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://blogs.pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/tux-love/2007/01/the_longest_suicide_note_in_hi.html
Avoid the Vista badge, it means DRM inside
,----[ Quote ]
| The root of this crappy DRM infection is Microsoft. It is the driving
| force here. This has nothing to do with protecting content, as we
| keep pointing out, there has never been a single thing that has had
| a DRM infection applied that didn't end up cracked on the net in
| hours. DRM is about walled gardens and control.
|
| He who controls the DRM infection controls the market. DRM is
| about preventing you from doing anything with the devices
| without paying the gatekeeper a fee. This is what MS wants,
| nothing less than a slice of everything watched, listened to
| or discussed from now on. DRM prevents others from playing
| there, thanks to the DMCA and other anti-consumer laws.
|
| Make no mistake, MS is pushing the DRM malware as hard as
| it can so it can rake in money hand over fist with no
| competition. It is really good at lock-in, in fact, the firm
| based its entire business model on harming the user so they
| have to comply and spend more.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=38926
|
|
