A Prevx researcher Marco Giuliani last week reported in a post to the security vendor’s blog that a new version of malware has been released to sidestep safeguards designed to block rootkits from hijacking 64-bit editions of Windows.

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With Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) support recently ending, Microsoft has now announced that users running Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate will now be able to downgrade to Windows XP Professional throughout the entire lifecycle of Windows 7.

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Microsoft last week confirmed that Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 contain an un-patched bug that could be used to infect computers.

The bug is in the “Windows Help and Support Center” which can be used to access and download Microsoft help files from the Web. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution.

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Microsoft yesterday (24 May 2010) updated their Action Pack subscriptions for members of the Microsoft Partner Network into two versions: The Microsoft Action Pack Solution Provider & Microsoft Action Pack Development

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Microsoft recently warned users of a vulnerability in the 64-bit versions of Wndows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 that could be used to hijack systems.

Jerry Bryant, a group manager with the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) explained in an entry on the MSRC blog that the vulnerability affects any machine with the “Aero” interface, which is the default on all but the least-expensive editions of Windows 7. Aero is an optional install on Windows Server 2008 R2. “If exploited, it would likely cause the affected system to stop responding and restart … Code execution, while possible in theory, would be very difficult due to memory randomization both in kernel memory and via Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR).”

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The TechNet support site recently documented a method to reset the activation timer in Microsoft Office 2010,

Microsoft typically allows users to install and run Office or Windows for up to 30 days without requiring a product activation key. During the 30-day grace period, the software works as if it has been activated. As the grace period runs out messages will start to appear on the screen reminding the user to activate the product.

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I am just writing this post to remind you that Microsoft will stop support and offer no further updates to Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) on 15 July 2010

To continue to receive Microsoft support and security updates  a number of options are still available:

• Update to Windows XP SP3 which can be downloaded from the Microsoft Website

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Microsoft has released an update with a number of fixes and security updates to increase the stability and reliability of both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 ahead of releasing Service Pack 1 (SP1)

The update is outlined in knowledge base article 980408 and can be downloaded from the Microsoft Website.

The article reads: “This update resolves issues that affect some computers that are running Windows 7 or that are running Windows Server 2008 R2. These issues are reported by customers who use the Error Reporting service or who use Microsoft Customer Support Services.”

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