Microsoft patches ancient bug

MICROSOFT has finally got around to patching security flaws for Windows and Office, including a critical bug that had been publicly disclosed nearly two years ago.

To prove that it is really on the ball when it comes to security, Vole's rapid reaction security teams released two updates. The most important one, MS08-069, fixes three separate flaws in XML Core Services.

Ben Greenbaum, a senior research manager at Symantec, said that it was important that Microsoft got around to fixing the XML Core Services vulnerability because it was possible for a hacker to exploit over the Internet.

So far the flaw has not been exploited, quite why is probably because it is not so susceptible to wormable code. However security experts are at a loss as to why hackers had not exploited the bug.

Neither did Microsoft apparently. The company pinned the bug with its second-highest ranking: 'inconsistent exploit code likely'.

So if it was that important, why did it take Vole two years to come up with a fix?

Answers in green Crayola on the back of a postcard please too Ithoughtyouhadgotitssecuritybetter, Microsoft, Redmond. µ

L'Inq
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