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Computer Security Weekly, August 23, 1999

© Robert Slade

Somebody seems to have gotten the idea properly. The government of Ontario has recommended the use of encryption to secure email.

The paper also notes that encryption systems are not perfect, and the browsers, with their inherent level of complexity, may have the most vulnerabilities. *

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Microsoft has been very to get into the instant messaging game. AOL has been very keen to keep them out, and has been changing its system to prevent Microsoft from joining in. But as fast as AOL changes the system, Microsoft releases a new version to maintain compatibility. Unfortunately, it hasn't maintained security. Somewhere along the line, Microsoft's software has developed the ability to let co-workers see passwords. Microsoft is promising a fix by the end of the week.

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I'm not quite sure about Microsoft's final response to the Office 97/Jet/OBDC bug. However, one point seems to have become more important. It is no longer true that no exploit has been found to take advantage of the loophole. Apparently, one has been posted on the net demonstrating the exploit for almost a month.

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