CA`s eTrust security management software protects against MS Windows vulnerabilities

Computer Associates International, Inc announced it is providing users of eTrust Vulnerability Manager, its rack-mountable security management appliance, with complete, automated discovery and remediation of the latest vulnerabilities for Microsoft Windows.

The new vulnerabilities range from critical to moderate risk. Resources affected include Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows 98, and Windows Millennium Edition (ME), Internet Explorer 6, and Outlook Express. They are:

Critical vulnerabilities:

* MS04-022 - Vulnerability in task scheduler could allow code execution (841873)
* MS04-023 - Vulnerability in HTML help could allow code execution (840315)

Important vulnerabilities:

* MS04-019 - Vulnerability in utility manager could allow code execution (842526)
* MS04-020 - Vulnerability in POSIX could allow code execution (841872)
* MS04-021 - Security update for IIS 4.0 (841373)
* MS04-024 - Vulnerability in Windows shell could allow remote code (839645)

Moderate vulnerabilities:

* MS04-018 - Cumulative security update for Outlook Express (823353)

Exploitation of these vulnerabilities can result in remote attackers being able to gain administrative privileges, execute code, and/or launch denial-of-service attacks against organisations.

"We strongly encourage customers to address these vulnerabilities immediately, since hackers may be moving quickly to exploit them," said Sam Curry, vice-president for eTrust security management at CA. "CA`s solutions are particularly useful for expediting remediation, since they automate much of the work and ensure the most critical vulnerabilities are addressed first."

Customers relying upon CA`s eTrust Vulnerability Manager can automatically identify and remedy these vulnerabilities, and document remediation in accordance with security management best practices. eTrust Vulnerability Manager leverages validated security information from CA`s global Security Advisory Team to ensure customers can respond to all known vulnerabilities as soon as they are discovered. CA`s subscription-based eTrust Managed Vulnerability Service also relies upon eTrust Vulnerability Manager to provide 24x7 risk detection and automated patch management.

Additional information on these vulnerabilities is available at http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/vulninfo/ and at http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins.