Microsoft Prepared to Strip Its Player
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Microsoft (Quote, Chart) plans to push for a negotiated settlement of its antitrust dispute with the European Union (EU), even if it means deleting the Windows Media Player (WMP) from its operating system.
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(InfoWorld) - Users are being advised to disable a certain type of file in Microsoft's Windows Media Player software following the discovery of a new security hole in the software. The flaw, which affects Windows Media Player versions 9 and 10, could allow a malicious hacker to run unauthorized software on a victim's PC or cause a denial of service attack, according to security company FrSIRT, which rated the problem critical in an advisory Thursday. The flaw is due to a buffer overflow error that can occur when Windows Media Player is used to run ".asx" media files, according to a warning from eEye Digital Security . Such files open automatically in a Web browser, meaning a hacker would need only to post an infected .asx file in a Web page and then try to lure users to visit the page, eEye Digital said. An infected file could also be sent via email, in which case users would need to be persuaded to open it. Microsoft said an initial investigation revealed that the "proof of concept" code could allow an attacker to execute code on a user's machine. It said it was unaware of any attempts to exploit the vulnerability, and it was unclear Friday morning if the proof of concept code it referred to was in the hands of hackers. Users can protect against the vulnerability in Internet Explorer by preventing it from opening .asx files automatically. Turning off Active Scripting would also greatly reduce, but not eliminate, the risk, Microsoft said. FrSIRT also recommended that users upgrade to Windows Media Player 11 , which it said is not affected. Microsoft was still determining Friday whether it needed to issue an "out of cycle" security fix for the problem or patch it with its next monthly software update. The flaw was originally reported on Nov. 22, when it was identified only as a denial-of-service issue. Some discussion boards described the problem as a "zero-day exploit," although it was unclear if that was the case. Zero-day exploits occur when exploit code is released on the same day that a flaw is uncovered, giving users no time to protect themselves. It's been another busy week for Microsoft's security teams. On TuesdayÂ the company warnedÂ of an unpatched vulnerability in Word that had been the subject of what it called "limited attacks." And on Thursday it said it was readying several patches for Visual Studio and Windows that it plans to release next week. The patches currently due for next weekÂ do not address the problemsÂ with Word and Windows Media Player.
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Microsoft Corp. has vowed to put considerable money and effort behind its bid to dethrone Apple Computer Inc.'s market-leading iPod, but it won't be using price as a weapon.
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Microsoft unveils PlayReady, a digital rights management platform designed to protect a wide range of mobile content.
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Online auctioneer will stop supporting Microsoft's sign-in service.
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Microsoft Corp. plans to severely curtail the ways in which people running pirated copies of its dominant Windows operating system can receive software updates, including security fixes.
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Microsoft yesterday officially acknowledged -- albeit two weeks after its discovery -- that a vulnerability in Windows Media Player found by security research team eEye Digital Security could indeed become an exploitable problem. Thankfully, no exploit seems to have turned up yet.
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Microsoft's hardware-challenged Xbox has another problem on its hands.
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Microsoft says it will comply with sanctions imposed by the European Commission and upheld by the Court of First Instance. The EU says the software company must offer an unbundled version of Windows without Windows Media Player.
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File will cause portable gaming device to malfunction, company says.
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A Microsoft Corp. executive responsible for its newly launched Zune digital music player will leave the company.
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Microsoft Corp. on Thursday will announce that the first third-party Portable Media Center media players will hit the streets. Originally announced a year ago, Microsoft said in July that the first player
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BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Microsoft says if a judge won&#39;t suspend a European Union antitrust ruling, the company is ready to put a stripped-down version of Windows on the market.
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The popular skinning feature in Nullsoft&#39;s WinAmp media player has left the door wide open for malicious attackers to hijack PCs.
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Microsoft&#39;s recently released Media Player 10 is being hailed by some reviewers as the first real challenge to Apple&#39;s dominance in the online music space.
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SEATTLE -- Microsoft Corp. has taken the wraps off "Surface," a coffee-table shaped computer that responds to touch and to special bar codes attached to everyday objects.
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(InfoWorld) - A Microsoft executive who helped develop the company'sÂ new Zune music playerÂ and other products is leaving the company, Microsoft said Wednesday. Bryan Lee, corporate vice president of Microsoft's entertainment business, "has decided to retire from Microsoft to pursue personal interests," the company said in a prepared statement. Lee reported to Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, who hired Lee in 2000. Bach said during his tenure Lee worked on development and deployment of the Xbox gaming system, the Windows XP Media Center operating system and the company's IP-television initiatives. "I want to extend my thanks to Bryan from the company and from me personally, for all of his contributions to Microsoft," Bach said. The Zune music player,Â introduced in November 2006, has been touted as Microsoft's challenge to the market-leading MP3 player, the iPod from Apple. Zune users can download music or videos from Microsoft's Zune.com Web site to the 30GB player. Unlike the iPod, the Zune is equipped with Wi-Fi. Lee will remain at Microsoft for a few more weeks to assist in the transition, the company said. J. Allard, corporate vice president of design and development, will take over full responsibility for the Zune. Joe Belfiore and Enrique Rodriguez, both corporate vice presidents who had reported to Lee, will now report to Bach.