• Microsoft Blocks Windows Vista Rootkit Exploit
  • Windows XP Service Pack 3 Delayed to 2008
  • Internet Explorer 7 Officially Released
  • Internet Explorer 7 Vulnerability Reported three hours after release

Microsoft Blocks Windows Vista Rootkit Exploit
Microsoft has blocked the attack vector used to slip unsigned drivers past Vistas new security policies. The exploit was first demonstrated at a Black Hat conference in August where Joanna Rutkowska tested the attack. She has tested it again recently against Vista RC2 x64 and found it no longer works. However, the reason why it doesnt work anymore is that Vista RC2 blocks write access to raw disk sectors for user mode applications, even if they are executed with elevated administrative rights.

Windows XP Service Pack 3 Delayed to 2008
Cnet reports that XP Service Pack 3, which Microsoft said back in January will be launched in the latter half of 2007 has now slipped into 2008. There is no indication on why this service pack has been pushed into 2007. However its suspected that getting Vista and Longhorn server out the door is their main priority at the moment.

Internet Explorer 7 Officially Released
Microsoft has released the final build of IE7 today to the public. IE7 has several new features compated to IE6 incluuding anti-phishing support, tabbed browsing and RSS web feeds. It is expected that Microsoft will be pushing IE7 via Automatic Updates on the 1st of November. For those of you who do not wish to receive IE7 you can use the IE7 Blocker Toolkit.

Internet Explorer 7 Vulnerability Reported three hours after release
While Microsoft has been celebrating the successful launch of its Internet Explorer 7 web browser, not all has gone entirely to plan, it seems. Just hours after the launch, Secunia reported that a security vulnerability was found in the browser, dampening the spirit somewhat. According to Secunia, the flaw was originally discovered in 2005 and affected IE6, and was also found to be present in the new incarnation of Microsoft’s browser, too. Read the full story at Viruslist.com