Yes, the NSA discovered a major security threat in the Windows 10 operating system. No, the Russians are not suddenly hacking you.

The IT world was waiting on pins and needles yesterday for a high profile Microsoft Windows 10 security patch, and the US National Security Agency (NSA) has enlightened us as to why. Apparently the government agency has discovered a serious flaw in Windows 10 that could expose users to surveillance or serious data breaches.

The NSA confirmed (link) that the vulnerability affects Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016. It said that it flagged the dangerous bug because it "makes trust vulnerable." However, it wouldn't say when it found the flaw and declined to discuss it further until Microsoft released a patch.

The vulnerability was found in a Windows component called crypt32.dll, which handles "certificate and cryptographic messaging functions," according to Microsoft. An exploit in that area could affect authentication on Windows desktops and servers, sensitive data on Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Edge browsers and many third-party applications. Hackers could also use it to spoof digital signatures, making malware look like a legitimate app.

A software patch was released yesterday to critical Windows 10 clients including the US military and managers of key internet infrastructure. Microsoft has since released updates for all customers, urging them to install them "as quickly as practical." as this flaw is being noted the second most severe in Microsoft's rating system. Microsoft has confirmed it has not yet been exploited, but is still a major security issue.

RIP Microsoft Paint

Microsoft's graphics program Paint has been included in a list of Windows 10 features that will be either removed or no longer developed.

Paint has been part of the Windows operating system since its release in 1985 and is known for its simplicity and basic artistic results.

Paint's successor, Paint 3D, will still be available.

The list was issued as part of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, which rolls out in the autumn.
Microsoft says that features on the list will be either removed from Windows 10 or "not in active development and might be removed in future releases".

Other features facing the axe include the Outlook Express email client, which is replaced with the built-in Mail app, and the Reader app, which will be integrated into Microsoft Edge.
The BBC has contacted Microsoft for comment.

RIP Paint

People have expressed disappointment at the news on social media, with many tweeting "RIP" messages.

Welsh YouTuber Chaotic described Paint as "the greatest thing to have ever existed".

The artist known as Jim'll Paint It uses the program to create artwork on outlandish themes, commissioned by strangers. He has nearly 700,000 followers on Facebook.
"Paint hasn't been all that since they messed about with it anyway. I'm running XP on a virtual machine because it's the best one," he tweeted.

"They should just release the source and make it public domain," tweeted games developer Mike Dailly, creator of Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto.

One thing is for sure, Paint, you will be missed.

Upgrading to Windows 10? Check out this ridiculous hidden fee!

Long before we had Angry Birds and Twitter to distract us at work, there was Solitaire on Windows. The card game has been a staple of Microsoft’s operating system for decades, but getting the full Solitaire experience on the new Windows 10 may cost you.

The newly released Windows 10 features the Solitaire Collection, which includes several variants of the classic card game. However, unlike the version of the game you played at your grandma’s house in the ‘90s, Windows 10 Solitaire comes packed with advertisements. To get rid of the ads and earn some in-game currency, users can pay $1.49 per month or $9.99 per year.

This actually isn’t the first time Microsoft has tried to get users to pay for Solitaire. A premium version of the game was also released for Windows 8, but the title wasn’t pre-installed in the operating system as it is in Windows 10.

It’s not that surprising that Microsoft is charging for Solitaire, considering that Windows 10 is free and the company is increasingly seeking revenue via ongoing subscription services instead of one-off software purchases.

Source: Time

Microsoft announces Windows 10 will be free for anyone using Windows 7 or Windows 8!

Windows 10 is coming this summer, Microsoft has confirmed, and will be free to anyone using Windows 7 or higher systems. Even people who didn’t pay for it.

That’s right, even Windows 7 and 8 users who don’t have a valid Windows license will get a free bump up to Windows 10. The release timing and new upgrade scheme were revealed by Microsoft operating system chief Terry Myerson at the WinHEC technology conference in Shenzhen, China, Reuters reports. Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment.

It’s a surprising move given the importance that Microsoft has placed on Windows license revenue in the past, and the lengths Microsoft has gone to to prevent the spread of pirated copies of the operating system. But the company has spent the past year reinventing itself in many ways, including going so far as to announce a free version of Windows for devices with screens smaller than nine inches.

Meanwhile, operating system pricing expectations have also been changing. Apple has offered free upgrades to OS X since 2013, and mobile operating system updates have long been free. Apple can make up for some of this lost revenue through increased hardware sales, and Microsoft is trying this strategy as well with its Surface tablet/notebook hybrid and other new devices. But Google offers its Android mobile operating system for free, making money off mobile advertising and app sales in the Google Play Store. Microsoft may similarly see a free Windows 10 as the gateway to alternate revenue streams.

The company now offers a range of cloud services, including Office 365, Skype and OneDrive, that Windows users may be more likely shell out for, even if they didn’t buy an operating system license. And even if those customers don’t end up buying cloud services from the company, at least they’re staying in the Microsoft ecosystem. Last quarter Microsoft’s revenue from consumer licensing — including both Windows and Office — accounted for only 16 percent of the company revenue, down from 23 percent the previous year. With Apple and Google Chromebooks slowly eating into Microsoft’s market share, the company could be thinking that a non-paying customer is better than no customer at all.

The company could also be worried about leaving millions of machines running outdated operating systems and software. Unpatched systems can spread malware and viruses, and releasing security updates for decades old platforms is costly. Microsoft has been campaigning to get users to retire Windows XP and the Internet Explorer 6 web browser, but China has been particularly slow to upgrade both. To make matters worse, the Chinese government, which has long clashed with Microsoft over piracy, even banned the use of Windows 8 on government computers largely due to concerns over upgrade costs.

The move to simply give away updated copies to pirates could ensure that Microsoft doesn’t end up in the same situation again. But regardless of the reason, it’s certainly a change of direction for the company. And welcome news to those who acquired Windows through less than legal means.

Source: Wired

IMPORTANT SECURITY NOTICE: Stop using Internet Explorer immediately.

On Monday, April 28^th, 2014, Microsoft released Security Advisory 2963983 regarding an issue that impacts Internet Explorer. At this time, we are only aware of limited, targeted attacks. This security issue allows remote code execution if users visit a malicious website with an affected browser. This would typically occur by an attacker convincing someone to click a link in an email or instant message.

Microsoft’s initial investigation has revealed that Enhanced Protected Mode, on by default for the modern browsing experience in Internet Explorer 10 and Internet Explorer 11 will help protect against this potential risk. Microsoft also encourages users to follow the “Protect Your Computer” guidance of enabling a firewall, applying all software updates and installing anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Additionally, everyone should exercise caution when visiting websites and avoid clicking suspicious links, or opening email messages from unfamiliar senders. Additional information can be found at www.microsoft.com/protect.

Here is the vital information you need to know:

1. All versions of IE 6 through 11 for Windows are affected.
2. No patch is available as of today (4/28/14)

What To Do:

1. Do not use Microsoft's Internet Explorer on any machine you may currently have.
2. Use an alternative browser such as Firefox.
3. When the patch is issued, it will NOT apply to XP users!
4. If you are an XP User, you should use an alternative browser from here on out.
5. Think seriously about upgrading or replacing those Windows XP machines.

With the end of support for Windows XP earlier this month, we believe this is just the first of many attacks that will be targeting Windows XP.

If you have a question please contact us.
IES, Inc.
781-816-9437
contactus@iesadvisors.com

Meet Microsoft's version of Siri - Cortana.

Cortana is part of Microsoft's new Windows Phone 8.1 software, the mobile platform's first major update in 18 months. The "personal digital assistant," has the ability to search the Internet, set up alarms, shift calendar appointments, find restaurants, send messages, place calls and more.

Interacting with Cortana is very similar to using Apple's Siri. Push an on screen button, ask a question in a conversational manner, and Cortana will go to work.

Like Google Now, Cortana also has the ability to tap into apps and the phone's core services to deliver you contextual information. It can offer the weather where you're located, deliver favorite sports scores, or scan email and provide updates on a flight status or package delivery.

Cortana also has the ability to figure out what your habits are (when you wake up, when you're at work, what you frequently search for), and use that information to predict your next move.

Similar as it may be to Siri and Google Now, Cortana isn't a straight clone either. Unlike the other two services, Microsoft will not only allow third-party apps to utilize Cortana's service, either by controlling apps via voice or fetching data for predictive search.

But Cortana has one feature that its rivals don't: Cortana can actually push the results of its searches over to other apps.

One such example was using the Bing health tracker app. In a demonstration at Build, Joe Belfiore, Microsoft's Windows Phone design chief, used Cortana to search for the number of calories in a banana. When the results came back, he was presented with option to add the banana to Bing's health tracker as something he ate.

Source: CNN Money

Finally, Microsoft has gotten the message! Windows 8 is soon to be more like Windows 7.

At its Build developers conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, Microsoft announced a trio of new features for Windows 8.1 that had a decidedly "old-school" feel: First, Windows will get a bunch of tweaks that make it easier to use with a keyboard and mouse. Second, Microsoft announced that Windows 8-style "Modern" apps will run in a window in the traditional desktop interface. Third, the Start menu -- the ultimate signifier of "old" Windows -- is eventually coming back.

But the tweaks are less about Microsoft running away from its controversial Windows 8 redesign and more a concession that the company tried to transition traditional PC users over to the radically different design of Windows 8 too quickly.

And if anything, Microsoft's decision to cater to these unconvinced users isn't a step backwards -- it's a ploy to reel them in.

Despite the changes, Microsoft isn't phasing out or decreasing the presence of Windows 8's new design. In fact, these forthcoming features will actually make the Modern design more visible throughout the operating system.

It's a more gentle way of nudging the entrenched Windows 7, Vista and XP users towards change. And catering to these users could help jumpstart Microsoft's lagging ecosystem of Modern apps, which is lagging considerably behind iOS and Android.

One of the most revealing, big-picture moments of Microsoft's latest Windows announcements was that developers can now build a single app that runs on all three major Microsoft platforms - Windows, Windows Phone, and Xbox.

Source: CNN Money

Microsoft will break into your Outlook, Hotmail, and instant messenger accounts if it deems necessary.

The company's ability (and willingness) to take such an approach became apparent this week. Microsoft admitted in federal court documents that it forced its way into a blogger's Hotmail account to track down and stop a potentially catastrophic leak of sensitive software. The company says its decision is justified.

From the company's point of view, desperate times call for desperate measures.

"In this case, we took extraordinary actions based on the specific circumstances," said John Frank, one of the company's top lawyers, in a blog post Thursday night.

According to an FBI complaint, Microsoft in 2012 discovered that an ex-employee had leaked proprietary software to an anonymous blogger. Fearing that could empower hackers, Microsoft's lawyers approved emergency "content pulls" of the blogger's accounts to track it down. Company investigators entered the blogger's Hotmail account, then pored over emails and instant messages on Windows Live. The internal investigation led to the arrest on Wednesday of Alex Kibkalo, a former Microsoft employee based in Lebanon.

Although the move could be perceived as a breach of trust, Microsoft says it's allowed to make such unilateral decisions. It pointed to its terms of service: When you use Microsoft communication products, (Outlook, Hotmail, Windows Live) you agree to "this type of review ... in the most exceptional circumstances," Frank wrote.

Microsoft's legal team thought there was enough evidence suggesting the blogger would try selling the illegally obtained intellectual property. In such instances, law enforcement agents would typically seek a warrant, but Microsoft said it didn't need one. The servers storing the information are on its own property.

Ginger McCall, a director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said those actions are deeply troubling, because they show "Microsoft clearly believes that the users' personal data belongs to Microsoft, not the users themselves."

"This is part of the broader problem with privacy policies," she said. "There are hidden terms that the users don't actually know are there. If the terms were out in the open, people would be horrified by them."

Microsoft recognizes that it's a sensitive topic, especially as the nation grapples with revelations about the extent of warrantless surveillance on Americans by their own government -- spying that Microsoft and other major tech companies have loudly criticized.

That's why Microsoft is instituting a new policy: In the future, it'll loop in an outside lawyer who's a former federal judge and seek his or her approval.

In a move that might be deemed ironic, Microsoft will now add its own internal searches to its biannual transparency reports on government surveillance.

Source: CNN

Sorry Microsoft, Blackberry may take your place in the new Fords.

Millions of Ford cars are already equipped with smart technology, called Ford Sync. Since it was introduced in 2007, Ford has partnered with Microsoft to operate the system.

The automaker would not confirm if it was dropping Microsoft for Blackberry. Spokeswoman Susannah Wesley said: "Ford and Microsoft are longtime partners, and we continue working together for the future."

She said Ford works with a variety of companies for its in-car connectivity systems and that it does "not discuss details of our work with others or speculate on future products for competitive reasons."

Neither Microsoft nor Blackberry responded to requests for comment. Both companies work with automakers on providing similar technology.

Microsoft has partnerships with Fiat, Nissan and Kia.

The Blackberry-owned software system called QNX is used in Audi and BMW vehicles for navigation and music. Earlier reports suggested that QNX would operate future versions of Ford Sync.

If true, Ford would be one of QNX's biggest customers. The car company faced criticism in 2011 for the Sync system freezing and crashing. Ford said it expects to make its newest Sync version available on another 3.4 million vehicles this year.

Source: CNN

Microsoft to kill off Windows 7 preloaded software next year.

The long, slow march toward end-of-life of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system is under way.

As of October 30, 2013, Microsoft ceased selling boxed copies of Windows 7 at retail. This October 30 cut-off date doesn't mean that OEMs or retailers are no longer selling PCs with Windows 7 preloaded, although it is becoming much more difficult to find. Although most major retailers have made the switch to Windows 8 or 8.1, OEMs can continue to sell PCs preloaded with Windows 7 until October 30, 2014.

Mainstream support for Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 installed isn't ending until January 13, 2015. Microsoft will continue to provide security fixes for Windows 7 for free until the end of extended support, which is January 14, 2020 - unless Microsoft ends up extending that support date, as it did with Windows XP.

Everyone better buckle down. It's going to be a bumpy ride with Windows 8 and 8.1, especially with no new operating system plans in sight.

Source: CNET

The Microsoft scam is back...and we have a first hand experience to tell you about!

"Hello. This is Microsoft tech support and we have detected a serious virus in your computer and we need you to log on right away so we can help you."
 
That's what the male voice said on the phone. He was insistent, almost in a panic, to help Grammie defend herself against a destructive virus that was attacking her computer.

Something about the call made her "suspect the caller's intentions". First, they didn't get her name right. Second, they sounded foreign.

When Grammie asked to speak to a manager, he dodged her request - he just kept talking, fast. And when she asked for a phone number so she could call to verify that it was Microsoft, he gave her an Atlantic City phone number, 609-318-6024. He also was insistent that she act right now because "we are trying to help you."

In reality, they were trying to scam her.

Grammie asked the "technician" how he knew that her computer had been compromised. He said "all computers have a number in them, that they're able to trace it". The fake technician persuaded Grammie to allow him to gain access to her computer using GoToMyPC. He continued to talk fast, using made up or false technical terms. The slick scammer continued on to tell Grammie that her computer "had no ssl," something that is actually for websites and has nothing to do with individual computers, while pulling up a fake website that says "Your computer is infected. No SSL available".

After pulling up a Western Union transfer, Grammie became even more weary of the caller's intentions. She said that she'd have to talk to her to-be son-in-law, a computer tech (me) and "that was the end of the conversation".

The best way to bust a scam is to shine a light on it, which is what I'm doing here. Tech-support scams have several things in common: The people on the phone talk fast and urgently to panic the victim into making a fast, unwise decision.

Scammers often say that "they have detected malware or a virus" and they even provide a product number for the victim's computer as proof they are for real. The product number of a computer is easy to find. The serial number, however, is not. If they do not have this information, I guarantee they are not calling from Microsoft.

In reality, "Neither Microsoft nor our partners make unsolicited phone calls (also known as cold calls) to charge you for computer security or software fixes. Additionally, Microsoft will never contact a consumer and ask for their credit-card number". (Source: Microsoft). Banks may call you to check charges, but once you give out your information, scammers are free to charge whatever they wish until the bank deactivates the card. It is very important to NEVER give out your credit card numbers. If phone scammers gain your trust, they will rip you off.

Currently, scammers are instructing the victim to type in a code, which allows them to take over the home computer. They may demand that you pay them for the nonexistent "fix." If you pay with your credit-card number, they may run up thousands of dollars in charges billed to you.

Even more notorious: They can take remote control of your computer, locking you out and all your records, documents and pictures in. They then demand that you pay a ransom to return control of the computer to you. If you pay the ransom, they release the computer back to you. Or maybe they don't and demand more money.

Unless you are certain of who you are talking to, don't be stampeded into revealing anything. If you have fallen victim to this scam, please contact us so we can try to clean up the mess left behind. And if you get a similar call, hang up and report the fraud to the FTC.

IES, Inc.
781-816-9437
iesAdvisors.com

Bill Gates apologizes for Control-Alt-Delete login, slams IBM.

The Microsoft founder says the triple-key login should have been made easier, à la Apple's Macs, but that a designer insisted on the more complicated step.

 

"We could have had a single button. But the guy who did the IBM keyboard design didn't want to give us our single button," Gates said Saturday during a question-and-answer session to launch a Harvard University fund-raising campaign. His comments have gained attention since a video of his Harvard Q&A was posted on YouTube on Tuesday.

 

"And so we had ... we programmed at a low level that you had to ... it was a mistake," he said, throwing up his hands to laughter and applause from the crowd.

 

Gates defended innovation on the earliest Microsoft software though.

 

"We did some clever stuff," he said. "We were able to experiment with a lot of stuff, but more on the software side than the hardware."

 

Long the first interface step for PC users, Control-Alt-Delete still exists in Windows 8 as a way of either locking the computer or accessing the control panel. While the system defaults to a log-in screen, users may tweak their settings to return to the old way of logging on to Windows.

 

Sometimes informally called the "three-fingered salute," the login required users to use both hands and was intended to avoid accidental keystrokes from rebooting a computer.

 

Engineer David Bradley, a designer on early IBM computers, said he invented the combination as a shortcut during development.

 

"It was like a five-minute job in doing it. I didn't realize that I was going to create a cultural icon when I did it," he said "... I may have invented it, but I think Bill made it famous."

 

Source: CNN

Kinect app that turns any surface into a touchscreen now available, starting at only $149.

With several companies developing technologies that can turn any surface into a touchscreen, it should be widely available soon. Those who want to try it out before it's cool, however, should look towards Ubi Interactive's software that combines the talents of Microsoft's Kinect for Windows sensor and a projector. So long as the software's installed on a Windows 8 computer, the sensor tracks and detects movements users make on the projected image. Interactions are the same as any tablet or smartphone, including launching icons by tapping on them and expanding areas with pinch-to-zoom. Merely a concept in 2012, the software is now available on Ubi's website with prices ranging from $149 to $1,499, depending on the display size and the type of customer support. Sounds like even an Average Joe can nab one, assuming they already have a projector and one of Microsoft's $250 motion / voice detectors.

Source: Engadget

Microsoft to shut down MSN TV on September 30, 2013.

Microsoft is pulling the plug on MSN TV, a service formerly known as WebTV, as Apple ramps up its set-top box efforts.

The pioneering service, one of the first to offer Internet access via television sets, will shut down September 30, Microsoft revealed in an e-mail to subscribers and in an FAQ posted to its Web site.

WebTV, which was founded by Web entrepreneur Steve Perlman in 1996, was acquired by Microsoft for $425 million in 1997.

WebTV offered television-based e-mail and Web browsing via wireless keyboards but struggled to gain traction with consumers. Microsoft rebranded the service as MSN TV in 2001 to accelerate integration with products such as MSN Messenger and MSN Hotmail.

The software giant even offered the interactive service for free to new MSN online service, but it has largely taken a backseat to the company's focus on the Xbox game console, which also offers Internet access.

Microsoft cited the myriad ways people can now access the Internet as a contributing factor to the service's demise:

WebTV (later called MSN TV) started in 1996 with the goal to bring new people 'online' and to give those already online an easy, hassle-free means of accessing the internet from the comfort of their homes. Later, MSN TV 2 was released with vastly greater power and features. Since then, the web has continued to evolve at a breathtaking pace, and there are many new ways to access the internet. Accordingly, we have made the difficult decision to end the MSN TV service on September 30th, 2013. We are working with our customers to ensure the transition is as seamless as possible.

Microsoft's exit comes as Apple puts more emphasis on the set-top box sector and as Microsoft itself boosts Xbox TV programming with the upcoming Xbox One.

Source: CNET

Apple smartphone users rejoice...Microsoft Office for iPhone has arrived!

Microsoft Office, the suite of productivity tools used by millions, has finally come to the iPhone.

The move is a significant one for Microsoft and its users. Before, the popular set of tools, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, was available only on Windows phones, which have captured a sliver of the smartphone market.

The feature is available free in Apple's App Store for subscribers to Office 365, the cloud-based version of Office's business-like tools for home users. Subscribers pay a monthly fee.

Office for iPhone is intended for people who need to edit PowerPoints or Excel spreadsheets on the go, not create them from their phones. The company said users can work with documents on their phones, and the updates will be transferred to those documents on PC versions. They'll also be able to share documents from their phones.

"When we launched Office 365 earlier this year, we committed to delivering regular updates and new capabilities to Office 365 subscribers," Julia White, general manager of Microsoft's Office division, said in a blog post. "Office Mobile for iPhone is another great example of the value of subscribing to Office 365."

The announcement comes just days after Apple announced that its own iWork productivity suite will for the first time work with Windows systems.

The Microsoft announcement serves as a counter, allowing the same kind of back-and-forth for the larger number of users who are already familiar with Office, considered by many the gold standard of productivity software.

There is no similar version of Office optimized for the iPad, which has its own more fully developed Web browser. Microsoft also did not mention whether it's developing a version for Google's Android mobile devices.

Office for iPhone is available now for users in the United States and will soon rolled out internationally, the company said.

Source: CNN

Looking for the start button on your Windows 8 computer? Keep looking because Microsoft has rejected the idea in the latest update.

When Microsoft rolls out Windows 8.1, the update to its struggling, 7-month-old operating system franchise, the company will not be bringing back the Start button as many users have been requesting.

But the company has acquiesced some. The company announced this morning that it will introduce something that a person close to Windows engineering is calling a "Start tip" that users can click on to go back to the Start screen in Windows 8.1. The "tip" is a Windows logo that that sits on the left hand side of the toolbar when Windows 8 users are working in the traditional desktop mode. When they are using the touch-focused tile-based interface, users will have to hover over the lower left corner for the "tip" to pop up.

But clicking on the "tip" won't launch the familiar menus that the Start button did in previous versions of Windows. Instead, it will take users to their Start screen. With Windows 8.1, users can customize that Start screen to replicate something close to the old Start menus, listing all of the applications that are available to them, if they want.

It's unclear if the Start tip will be enough to quiet critics who are clamoring for the ease of use that comes with familiarity. The Start tip is a bit of a half-step toward a Start button. Microsoft seems to be giving a nod to its critics but not quite giving them all they had wanted.

Earlier this month, Tami Reller, the chief marketing officer and chief financial officer of the Windows division, told ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley that the company is being "principled, not stubborn" about modifying Windows 8 based on user feedback.

Source: CNET

Microsoft scores a slam dunk for Windows 8 tablets as Siri slams the iPad in a new ad.

In the latest Windows 8 news, Microsoft has shifted gears to take aim at Apple.

In this new 30 second ad, you see Siri taken hostage and forced to tell the truth...The truth as Microsoft sees it, that is.

Source: Windows YouTube Page

FBI issues cyber security advisory that could impact all users of Microsoft Explorer 8.

Better Business Bureau (BBB) is urging all consumers and businesses to pay close attention to a Cyber Security Advisory issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding a vulnerability in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 browser (IE8) that could allow scammers to access and take over users’ computers. The risk for all users – home, business and government – is high, and BBB is urging anyone with IE8 to follow the recommended steps to address the problem.

The problem was first announced yesterday, and last night Microsoft released a temporary fix.
Here is the original overview from the FBI:

“A vulnerability has been discovered in Microsoft’s web browser, Internet Explorer, which could allow an attacker to take complete control of an affected system. Exploitation may occur if a user visits or is redirected to a web page which is specifically crafted to take advantage of the vulnerability. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could result in an attacker gaining the same privileges as the logged on user. Depending on the privileges associated with the user, an attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Failed exploit attempts may result in a denial-of-service condition.”

Microsoft today released a workaround which acts as a temporary fix. It is available at: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2847140. The company is working on a patch to undo the vulnerability, which does not affect other versions of IE.

“BBB recommends that everyone with Internet Explorer 8 apply the temporary fix immediately,” said Ben Steinberg, Chief Information Officer of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. “If you are not sure which version you have, try running the fix. If you don’t have IE8, the fix will stop running and let you know that your system is not at risk. Microsoft will let you know when the patch is available, and you need to download that as soon as it is.”

For more details and the fix, go to: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2847140.

Source: BBB

Microsoft turns Forbes magazines into Wi-Fi hot spots.

In a promotion that melds the dying world of magazines with the living world of Wi-Fi, select copies of Forbes are enjoying a Wi-Fi router, which oozes 15 days of free Wi-Fi through T-Mobile.

This fetching gift was first noticed by someone on the Slickdeals forum -- handle BigMacG4 -- who wondered whether anyone else had been fortunate enough to be gifted this way.

It all seems to be part of a promotion for Microsoft Office 365.

Indeed, a Microsoft spokesperson told Mashable: "The custom 4-page insert with Wi-Fi hot-spot capabilities ran in the May 6, 2013 issue of Forbes and was sent to a limited number of technology and business professionals."

It's not easy to make the cloud seem interesting, so this is one way of at least attempting to inspire.
Those who receive this fine gift ought to remember that they have to charge it first and they should get around three hours of Wi-Fi with every charge.

The router can apparently satisfy as many as five devices at once, which might make your evening commute slightly more entertaining.

Source: CNET

Feeling down? Go see this virtual psychiatrist!

University of Southern California researchers are developing SimSensei, an avatar that uses facial recognition tech and depth-sensing cameras built into Microsoft's Kinect to conduct mental health interviews. Check out this video of a session below.