Microsoft to patch 17-year-old computer bug - Antionline Forums

*ByTeWrangler* · February 6th, 2010, 01:14 PM

I don't have words to describe this one..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8499859.stm

*westin* · February 6th, 2010, 04:11 PM

Wow... just... wow.

Kind of makes you want to switch to a less targeted OS?

***gore*** · February 6th, 2010, 06:50 PM

Lol you mean like DOS? I'm starting to wonder if they were really just tired of fixing it and said switch to Windows now.

Man....17 years of the same thing sitting there ready to be exploited, and NO ONE fixed it. I wonder if they're going to change those ads about how they take care of problems better than Linux does now. (Remember? With Linux you're waiting on a kid in China to fix your exploit, with Windows, we fix them!"....)....

I don't think I've ever heard of a bug going for this long ever. Anyone know if this is a record?

*keezel* · February 6th, 2010, 08:13 PM

HAHAHAHAHA!!

Wow. Good job Microsoft.

And the ad campaign about "some kid in China" is hysterical. As if Linux is still primarily supported by random freelance coders. They are totally exploiting that misnomer.

Maybe we should go easy on them. After all, Microsoft bloatware is huge and hard to fully patch.

But then again, 17 years?! Wow.

***gore*** · February 6th, 2010, 09:32 PM

Wasn't it the big Steve who said that originally? The part about "Well yea Linux has customers but do you really want to have to tell your boss the system will be patched once some 12 year old in China is done writing it?" ... I can't remember the exact quote but it was along those lines about a kid in China being the one writing your patches.

I think he was pissed off because people have seen a problem in Linux where there was an exploit possible, and within like 4 hours, there was a patch. The same problem popped up on a few other OSs and it took like a month to get one.

***nihil*** · February 7th, 2010, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Kind of makes you want to switch to a less targeted OS?

Not really..................you need an authenticated login and physical access from what I can see?

Hell! I am looking at a CD on my desk that will reset the admin password from bootup................no login required.

I am still of the opinion that if someone has unrestricted physical access you are as good as owned.

Anyway, it took 17 years to find it..............hardly earth shattering?

*ByTeWrangler* · February 7th, 2010, 02:49 PM

Since it took me lot of time to find words to describe this one (abuse basically). I've decided to switch to Linux. OpenSuse, buddy i love you..

***nihil*** · February 7th, 2010, 03:22 PM

Well,

1. I don't believe in security through obscurity as a general principle.
2. I will certainly stay where the money is (Microsoft).
3. What makes you think that Linux is any better?..............if I have physical access and a password you are owned.

Do you still run 16bit applications?...............I do, and have Windows 3.11, 98, 98SE and ME boxes for that. They are mostly games that won't work in compatibility mode anyway, because they want to directly access the hardware and do other things that 2000, XP, Vista and 7 don't allow.

This is the fix:

1.
Click Start, click Run, type gpedit.msc in the Open box, and then click OK.
This opens the Group Policy console.
1.
Expand the Administrative Templates folder, and then click Windows Components.
2.
Click the Application Compatibility folder.
3.
In the details pane, double click the Prevent access to 16-bit applications policy setting. By default, this is set to Not Configured.
4.
Change the policy setting to Enabled, and then click OK.
Impact of Workaround: Users will not be able to run 16-bit applications.

REMEMBER: You have to make the change in both User and Computer settings. If it isn't turned off in Computer settings it will be allowed because they override the User settings

No big deal as far as I am concerned.

*ByTeWrangler* · February 7th, 2010, 03:50 PM

Nihil how dare you come in defense of Microsoft.. I write this from my Opensuse using Opera (and after uninstalling Firefox)..

The-Spec · February 7th, 2010, 10:03 PM

The thing about linux is these distros either lie or spend so much time repackaging stuff they have no idea whats-what themselves. They'll sit there and call something a "local denial of service flaw" for five years intil someone changes a single byte in the return address. People know better than that... you don't just make something seg fault at ring-0.

Meh... people don't want to admit there are more kernal flaws out there than the number of waves in the pacific ocean.