MS to meet Symantec, McAfee

Microsoft has agreed to meet security companies today to discuss allowing them to use core components of 64-bit editions of the coming Windows Vista operating system, reports News.com.

The meeting comes after Microsoft bowed to European Commission pressure last week and said it would allow third-party security software to access the kernel of 64-bit versions of Vista and disable alerts sent out by the Windows Security Centre.

Symantec, McAfee and others accused the company of creating an unfair advantage for its own products through the kernel protection and Windows Security Centre features. They have also criticised Microsoft for being slow to deliver on its promises to the European Commission. This means the release of certain products for 64-bit versions of Vista will be delayed and the kernel access features will not be in the first release of Vista.

Microsoft has released the latest version of its Internet Explorer browser in the hopes that an improved user experience and other improvements will help regain ground lost to rival Firefox, reports Seattle PI.

The report says Internet Explorer 7 (IE7), which is available as a free download, is an improvement in security, privacy and usability on its predecessor. IE6 is five years old and notoriously vulnerable to hacking.

Analysts say IE7 is a vast improvement, but does not leapfrog version 2.0 of Mozilla`s Firefox that is due for release at the beginning of November. Firefox is the only browser to steal market share from Microsoft and analysts say Firefox 2.0 remains a potent challenger.

Oracle has released a critical patch update with fixes for more than 100 security vulnerabilities in a wide range of database and server products.

eWeek says the update patches about 120 bugs in the Oracle Database Server, Oracle Application Server, Oracle Application Express, Oracle Collaboration Suite, Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle`s PeopleSoft Enterprise, and Oracle`s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne applications.

Although one of the largest group of patches to be released by Oracle, the company says more than a third of the vulnerabilities covered are in an optional product and do not affect most customers. However, the most serious bug affects Oracle Application Express and could be exploited remotely.

A study by Stanford University reveals the US is filled with Internet addicts, with more than one in eight adults unable to stay away from the Internet for more than a few days at a time and one in 11 hiding an online habit, reports Sci-Tech Today.

Scientists who carried out the study say Internet addicts are possibly as clinically ill as alcoholics. They say an increasing number of Internet users are seeking medical help for their addiction. Psychologists say habits online users develop include a strong compulsion to check e-mail, post blog entries, or visit Web sites or chat rooms.

The study found 12% of Internet users often stay online longer than intended, more than 12% said they saw a need to cut back on their Internet use, and 8.7% tried to conceal "nonessential" Internet use from family, friends and employers.