OT: Don't Buy XP Home

[Fyron]

I didn't "discover" it, I just pasted it from a RSS feed I read.

A newly-reported flaw in the way Windows handles images was successfully exploited over the New Year's weekend, and no official patch is yet available from Microsoft. The problem stems from the way that Windows deals with .WMF (Windows Metafile) images; a maliciously crafted image can execute code on any Windows system, including XP SP2. All that's required to trip the payload is viewing a .WMF image locally or on the web.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060102-5876.html

[Atrocities]

Ooops, good point, I must improve my communication skills..

By discover I mean he uncovered the information and informed us.

[Suicide Junkie]

I love not being vulnerable to all the new crap.

98se dosen't have that buggy MWF support by default.

[Baron Munchausen]

All versions of Windows have this vulnerability. Even Windows 3.1 from the days before Microsoft had even noticed the internet! It's not truly a 'bug' but an intentional feature of Windows. It's actually possible to make code function calls from a WMF file because WMF files were designed for fancy functionality, but without any thought for security. This is yet another lesson on Internet Exploder. Don't Use It, Mmm'kay? People who surf with a non-Microsoft browser are dramatically less vulnerable. You can still be sent an email with a trojan in it, but at least you won't infect yourself in routine surfing.

[Suicide Junkie]

But only if you have a MS viewer to load those WMF files.

Basic 98se + irfanview to look at the files with dosen't get owned.

http://blog.ziffdavis.com/seltzer/ar.../03/39684.aspx