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MS Windows Virus-like Security Gaps



Dear Colleagues,

This message is not about physics, but it is important to those of us who
use Windows PC's to hobnob with our fellow wizards. Mac users can hit
both the "delete" and "gloat" keys at this time.

Microsoft has announced the existence of 6 virus-like security gaps in
Win95/Win98 software in the past month, and has issued patches to the
Windows code to fix them. Whether all of these apply to you depends on
the configuration of your system and how you use it.

These security gaps permit malicious users to alter or delete files,
delete drives (including hard drive), alter webpages, crash the operating
system, etc, on your Win95/Win98 computer.

*** Until now it has not been possible to suffer computer
*** damage by simply reading an E-mail message or visiting
*** a webpage; that is no longer true for many Windows users
*** who do not deal with these security problems.

Anti-virus software does not and probably will not in the forseeable
future offer protection for such security loopholes.

These security gaps have yet to be exploited "in the wild" by unscrupulous
hackers; however, since these vulnerabilities are now public knowledge,
it is only a matter of time before virus-like attacks occur.

Read about the problems and obtain code fixes from
<http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-030.asp>
<http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-031.asp>
<http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-032.asp>
<http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-033.asp>
<http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-034.asp>
<http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-037.asp>

Also
<http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-030faq.asp>
<http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-031faq.asp>
<http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-032faq.asp>
<http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-033faq.asp>
<http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-034faq.asp>
<http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-037faq.asp>

Best wishes,

Larry Cartwright

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Larry Cartwright
Physics and Physical Science Teacher
Charlotte High School, 378 State Street, Charlotte MI 48813
<physics@scnc.cps.k12.mi.us> or <science@scnc.cps.k12.mi.us>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PS - Similar issues exist for Windows NT,
which I have not dealt with here.