Microsoft Windows Operating System Users Experience Security Vulnerability Threat

In late December 2005, people were given warning about an unwanted holiday gift that could be presented to their computer, and in early January 2006, the development of a patch for the discovered security vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that "hackers" were taking advantage of, was in the making. Because Microsoft Windows is the most widely used operating system, this security threat has caught a great deal of attention from all business people alike.

The flaw discovered is found in Windows graphics files, known as Windows Meta Files (WMF). The vicious file can even be disguised to the eye as a .jpg graphic file. Infected files can be found in email, viewed on web site pages, downloaded from a page, or even via a contaminated graphic message on instant messenger. When a tainted graphic or image is viewed, a process of coding takes place immediately without the user's knowledge. A mock spyware/antivirus application is dropped onto the system by the exploit using a distorted Windows Meta File. Because of its exposure while conducting normal web based activities, it has been treated as a serious threat to security.

A patch has been released by Microsoft to protect users from infection. It can be accessed on Microsoft's home page. Windows users who use the "automatic update" function need not worry about downloading the patch, as it has been downloaded to your system automatically. Thus far, the problem has been contained for the most part; however, monitoring is taking place so it doesn't fire up and quickly spread across the Internet.

Creating a patch is a complex process because there are many versions of Windows, and sometimes even the most compatible patch has the possibility of interfering with other computer components.

Even with the recommended patch, one cannot afford to ignore issues of security because there are still hackers waiting to be the next to cause havoc to computer and Internet users alike. This will require a new patch. Everyone that has been infected has not received the patch, therefore, the vulnerability and spread of this particular security flaw is still very real and alive.

If you do become infected with this particular harmful file, there are steps to take to remove the exploit and return back to normal work routine.

As it stands, this isn't the first security threat ever to happen, and it won't be the last. It serves as a reminder to all about the importance of protecting our computer systems.

 

Three Information Technology Industry Leaders Claim Sponsoring Roles in New Research Lab

This past December 2005, Google, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems announced that they are contributing $500,000 a piece for five years to back research at a new University of California at Berkeley research lab. Along with smaller contributions by a few other IT companies, these monies will account for 80% of the funding.

RAD Lab (Reliable, Adaptive, and Distributed Systems Laboratory) has been created to help entrepreneurs who are focused on developing broad based online services (with functions similar to online successes Amazon and eBay). The goal is to make these inventor's creations as widely available as possible. There are high hopes for remarkable Internet ideas and budding company launchings to come out of this laboratory, similar to the births of other web-based phenomenons like Google and eBay.

The money from the academic research sponsors goes to innovative research on software engineering, web based software, and creating technologies that can help entrepreneurs make their growing services available to a large population with greater efficiency. The potential software that will emerge from the lab will be available at no charge for those who are interested under the Berkeley Software Distribution license.

The lab will be staffed by six university faculty and roughly 12 computer science graduates with the intention of growing that to 30 graduate students over time. All three leading contributors will serve as advisors and will take no part in working at the lab.

Government spending on this type of research has decreased significantly and therefore it's important for innovative industry leaders like Google, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems to sponsor such research that will ultimately lead to future generation networking technology.

For more information visit http://radlab.cs.berkeley.edu/wiki/RAD_Lab

 

SAMSA Reaches out for Accessibility

Experiencing emotions of confusion because you don't know how to navigate a web site or becoming frustrated when you are taken off track while trying to navigate the web happens to us all from time to time, but this is a constant, chronically frustrating situation for those with disabilities.

For this reason, Internet Accessibility has become a widely discussed topic and has made progress in legislation. In 1999, Section 508 was added to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a civil rights law for people with disabilities, which expanded its scope of providing accessibility to include federally owned or funded websites. The reason for this expansion is clear. Internet inventor Tim Berners-Lee states, "Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect."

Information available on the Internet must be visible (easy to find), accessible (easy to use), and usable (easy to understand). An accessible web site entails an array of characteristics. Web accessibility includes web sites and applications that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with. To begin with, page organization that is clear, consistent in structure, and easily navigable is crucial. The Web Accessibility Initiative offers quick tips for developers that includes but is not limited to:

• Use the Alt attribute to describe the function of each image or animation
  
• Provide captioning and transcripts of audio and descriptions of video
  
• In regards to hypertext links, use text that makes sense when read out of context
  
• Provide alternative content in case active features such as scripts, applets, and plug-ins are inaccessible or unsupported

It takes a lot of effort and time to learn the guidelines of accessibility and how to implement them. If your business is unsure about implementing the guidelines itself or is lacking the internal resources to do so, a highly sought choice is to hire an accessibility expert to reconstruct your existing site. Though money must be spent, the benefits reaped by doing so are incalculable. A company that is socially responsible is highly regarded in the community. The truth is, people with disabilities aren't the largest segment of population but accessibility benefits more people than those who are deaf, mentally impaired, dyslexic, motion impaired, or have low or no vision, combined. Research has shown that most of the population will need extra accessibility to web sites at some point in our lives, so why not make your site accessible for those who need that extra assistance right now.

Web developers and designers have a duty to educate clients on the importance of accessibility, and SAMSA is firmly committed to this responsibility.

The Internet has an astonishing potential for users with disabilities. With it, a blind person can use a screen reader to easily look up information for a work or school report; a deaf person can quickly access transcripts of an important speaker; a paralyzed person can take college classes and your elderly father or grandfather can write you an email from his recliner. To live up to its potential, the Internet must be as its founder intended - accessible to all.

Government mandated guidelines and information as made by the Web Accessibility Initiative can be found at http://www.w3c.org/WAI

SAMSA can help improve your website accessibility. For more information visit http://www.samsa.com/internet/accessible.html