Crtical Patch For Internet Explorer

As has been reported in the news, a serious security issue was recently acknowledged in most versions of Internet Explorer. On Wednesday at 1:00pm EST, Microsoft released a critical patch that mitigates the problem. Following our process of installing new patches on various machine configurations for testing, we installed the patch on several machines on Wednesday and Thursday. I also attended a Webinar presented by Microsoft regarding the issue. At this time we have seen no problems with the patch and advise all Clients to install the patch as soon as possible.

For Clients that are on our Remote Monitoring Plus service which includes Windows Updates, we have released the patch and your machines will receive the patch automatically. Note that the patch requires that the device is rebooted in most cases.

Clients that need the patch installed can simply call us to schedule service or download and install the patch themselves. The link to the patch is here. Be sure to select the proper patch for the workstation that it is being installed on. Please do not attempt to install the patch on your servers. We will do this remotely. As a general rule Internet Explorer should not be used on servers, therefore it is less urgent to install the patch on the servers.

Some notes about the patch

1. The patch will require that the device it is installed on gets rebooted. The patch will not take affect until the machine is rebooted. In some cases the patch may not require a reboot. Every machine we have installed it on has required a reboot.

2. Don't forget those laptops and other remote workstations. Those employees working from home need to install this update on the remote devices.

Links to KB958644 Security Patch

I have posted the links to the KB958644 security patch on our Answers Website.  You can find them here.  I have also posted instructions on how to determine if the patch has been installed on your computer.  You can find that here.

Don't forget to install these patches on your home computers as well!

Microsoft Releases Critical Patch

Generally, Microsoft releases patches on the 2nd Tuesday of every month.  This schedule is used to minimize the amount of server and workstation reboots that must be done as this process interrupts businesses.  It also gives Microsoft time to properly test the patches against the various configurations of operating systems that are available, a major task.

On occasion Microsoft will release an "Out of Band" patch.  The most common reason for an "Out of Band" patch is a serious security related issue.  If the issue is serious enough and there are known exploits that are being seen they will release a patch as soon as it is available.

This is the case with a patch that they released on October 23rd.  The patch resolves a very serious security issue with all versions of Windows although Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 are a little less of a concern but not immune.

We are in the process of completing in-house testing of the patches on the various operating systems.  I believe the patch is safe to apply at this point although there are some potential problems with some configurations of Windows Server 2003.  We have fixes for these problems if they should occur.  Installing the patch will require a reboot of both workstations and servers.

We are strongly recommending that all our Clients install the patch for their servers and workstations.  For Clients that are on our Remote Monitoring Service the patches will be released over the weekend.  We will be contacting you early next week to install the patches on your servers and to rebooot the servers. Note that this does not include Clients that are running the free trial of our Monitoring Service. 

For Clients that are not covered by Remote Monitoring, we have 2 options.  First, simply give us a call and we will take care of it for you.  Second, we will be posting the various patches to our Answers Website later today.  Please do not attempt to do these patches yourself unless you fully understand how to apply which patch to which operating system.  The process is not difficult but you must do it right.  We do NOT recommend users install the patch on any servers themselves.  Again, the patch WILL require a reboot after it is installed.

As always, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to call us.

Misys Merges with Allscripts

In a little bit of a surprise, I have learned that Misys has merged with a company called Allscripts as of today.  The new company name is Allscripts.  Allscripts has been involved in the medical technology business since 1986.  They have several applications and services in various areas of healthcare. 

The Misys website has already been changed to reflect the new branding.  It is running slow today as I'm sure they are getting many hits.

Here is a link to the merger Press Release.

Another Problem Email

There is yet another problematic email circulating. This one looks like an email from CNN. It contains THE DAILY TOP 10, a list of links to the top 10 list news article list. It looks very professional with the CNN logos and everything. If the recipient clicks on any of the links, a message appears that says Flash Player - Incorrect version and asks you if you want to download and install the new Flash Player. Again this looks very real. However, what gets downloaded is a piece of malware that proceeds to really cause damage to the computer.

This message looks very real. Users need to ask themselves, "Did I sign up for the CNN Top 10 List?" Also check the from address, it is not from the CNN domain. In short, users need to really be aware of what they are looking at in these types of messages.

We are seeing more and more of these very sophisticated messages. I received 2 of these CNN messages today myself. When they are mixed in with our daily email and newsletters they can very easily slip under our radar and end up costing serious issues with our computers and therefore cost businesses serious money.

Viruses and Malware Coming In Interesting Packages

There has been a rash of very interesting viruses and general bad stuff coming through email lately. The most recent is an email that appears to come from UPS and says they are unable to deliver a package and instructs the user to open the enclosed attachment for the package details. The attachment contains a virus. Another is an email that indicates your firewall needs to be updated and directs the user to click on a link that points to a website that will infect the computer.

These types of messages are not new. But they are getting very sophisticated. The messages look authentic and sent to the right person are very tempting to open. If you ship UPS packages all day or you just happen to be waiting on a UPS delivery and your receive the very official looking UPS message you may be inclined to open the message.

The solution is the same as it has been. Make sure you have good antivirus software with the latest updates, make sure you have good spyware software with the latest updates and make sure you stay on your toes. Unfortunately, EVERY email is suspect at this time. This is a good time to do a little refresher course for your email users on the dangers of email. It's too bad that some much time has to be spent on this but unfortunately that's the way it is.

Blogging From Word 2007

I was reading a few Blogs this morning and came across one that reminded me that Microsoft added a Blogging feature to Word 2007. This feature allows you to Blog directly from Word 2007. This is nice because I can take advantage of spell check and other tools built into Word. It's also nice because I can create Blog articles off line and post them later. This Blog Entry was created in Word 2007.

I also use Windows Live Writer which is another off-line Microsoft tool created for Bloggers. I will toggle between the two of them over the next few Blog articles to see which one I like the best. It's getting easier and easier to Blog. And it's a great way to keep in touch with your stakeholders. Do you have a Blog? Let me know if you would like some help getting one started.

Spam and Viruses On the Upswing

We have been seeing a fairly high increase in Client machines that are infected with various types of malware. It's not just us. The industry as a whole is seeing the same thing. It looks like for the moment the bad guys are winning. Current spam and virus detection tools are just not keeping up. This article confirms what we have been seeing.

Of course you still want to make sure that you have current anti-spam and anti-virus programs on all your computers. And make sure that users have a good understanding of how and where malware can come from. And let's hope that the good guys can get ahead of the game sometime soon.