Microsoft identifies new IE security threat

Microsoft has warned users that a critical flaw in its Internet Explorer (IE) Web browser could allow a hacker to take control of a computer.

The software giant made the announcement yesterday, saying the flaw can be fixed by downloading a software patch from its Web site. Users who have already installed Windows XP Service Pack 2 are protected from the software flaw, but other users will have to update their software.

Microsoft warned that a hacker could design a Web page that could take advantage of the IE flaw, allowing a malicious software writer to take control, steal or erase data from a computer, Reuters reports.

Lycos Europe has denied that hackers defaced its "make love not spam" Web site earlier this week.

According to News.com, an e-mail was sent to Finnish anti-virus company F-Secure with what appeared to be a mirror image of a defacement of the site. The defacement read:

"Yes, attacking spammers is wrong. You know this, you shouldn`t be doing it. Your IP address and request have been logged and will be reported to your ISP for further action."

The company, which recently launched its anti-spam screensaver, says the e-mail was actually a hoax generated by spammers.

Despite these assertions, Internet analysis company Netcraft says the Lycos site was inaccessible for most of Wednesday.

Microsoft and Sun Microsystems say their interoperability initiatives are starting to show dividends in a number of areas.

According to InfoWorld, the two companies have made progress on Web services standardisation, deployment of Windows on Sun boxes, and other areas, says Microsoft consumer strategy and partnerships corporate VP Hank Vigil.

"We`re actually quite pleased with the progress the companies have made so far in the early stages of this relationship."

The two vendors have co-authored four Web services specifications in the last six months, and Microsoft is now referring customers wanting Java on Windows to Sun`s JVM, since Microsoft`s JVM is not being upgraded.

The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) has grown so rapidly that it is considering hiring full-time, paid staff to keep up.

The ASF, which runs on a volunteer model, was set up in 1999 as a non-profit enterprise to support the Apache community`s open source software projects, but now comprises around 1 200 developers.

According to Computerworld, the ASF will not pay the developers to write software, but is considering hiring staff for some of the "grunt work" like systems administration that volunteers are not keen on doing.

Hiring staff will, however, require raising more money, and the board of voluntary directors is discussing the issue.