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Microsoft's big fix: Security patch now on the market

By Patrick Marshall
Special to The Seattle Times

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For the past few years, viruses have attacked Microsoft's operating system, Web browser or e-mail programs seemingly on a weekly basis.

Some analysts and users — especially aficionados of Macintosh and Linux operating systems — are amused by the attacks, claiming that they are the result of Windows being especially vulnerable to such attacks.

Proponents of Windows — most notably Microsoft itself — have conceded vulnerabilities but have pointed out that all operating systems are vulnerable to hackers and viruses.

Things you should know before getting Service Pack 2 Make sure your system is going to be able to install it successfully. Your PC will need at least a 233MHz processor, 64 megabytes of RAM and 1.8 gigabytes of available hard-disk space. It also needs to be running Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Media Center Edition or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. Earlier versions of Windows, as well as the 64-bit version of Windows XP, cannot be upgraded with Service Pack 2. There are three ways to go get it: automatic update, manual update and CD-ROM. Microsoft recommends using the Automatic Update feature in Windows XP, especially if you're able to leave your computer connected to the Internet overnight. To turn on Automatic Update, go to the Control Panel, select System Utility and click on the Automatic Update tab. Alternatively, you can go to the Microsoft Web site, www.microsoft.com, search for the SP2 update and follow directions for downloading it. If you download the SP2 update, how long it takes depends on the speed of your Internet connection. Because it's about 75 megabytes, it can take awhile, even if you have a DSL connection. You can also request a copy of the SP2 CD at www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/winxpsp2.mspx.

The real reason Windows is so afflicted, they say, is that hackers and virus writers understandably want to make a bigger splash by attacking the world's most popular operating system.

Whatever the reason for the attacks, Microsoft, aware that future sales of Windows depend upon stemming the onslaught, is now releasing Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Don't look for new games or productivity applications. This update is virtually all about security.

For starters, SP2 rolls into a single bundle all of the critical updates to the operating system Microsoft has issued since Windows XP was released in 2001. That alone makes SP2 a welcome release, greatly simplifying installation and reinstallation of Windows XP.

But SP2 also offers a host of new and enhanced security tools. Most noticeable is a Security Center, which provides centralized access to your system's security-configuration tools.

The Security Center, which is called up by clicking on an icon that sets itself into the desktop taskbar, is even designed to check for active and updated antivirus software on your computer and alert you if it doesn't find any or is unable to determine if it is up to date.

Another feature is the significantly improved Windows Firewall. Instead of simply being on or off, as with the previous version, the Windows Firewall is now configurable.

Once the firewall is installed with SP2, a user is notified if an unrecognized application tries to gain access to the PC through a blocked port, a numbered channel through which data enters a PC (most Web traffic, for example, comes through port 80). The user can then allow or disallow the access.

Even better, if the user allows the application to access the port after the application is closed, the firewall will block the port again.

Internet Explorer, another major entry point for hackers, has been reinforced with a number of new measures.

A new Add-On Manager, available on the Tools menu, offers a handy way to view — and disable, if so desired — any extensions (such as those that allow you to open an Adobe Acrobat file), ActiveX controls (mini-applications that add functionality to a Web site) or other add-ons incorporated into the browser.

Many users, of course, may not have enough knowledge about extensions and scripts to know what to disable if a problem occurs.

Accordingly, Microsoft has added Add-On Crash detection, a tool that detects which add-on was responsible for a problem.

Finally, Microsoft has tightened up Internet Explorer's security-zone configurations, providing greater protection to prevent hackers from accessing the relatively open Local Zone.

(A word of explanation: Internet Explorer's security zones allow you to specify different sets of permission and security settings for different sets of Web sites. For instance, you would likely impose loose security for sites on your intranet and those you specify as "trusted." By contrast, you can tighten it — through, say, not allowing scripts to run — on sites you know little or nothing about.)

One more change to Internet Explorer: Microsoft has at long last added a pop-up-ad blocker. I found it to do a creditable job blocking pop-ups.

Invisible changes

Many of the most significant changes introduced with SP2, however, are under the hood and won't be noticed.

A great number have been made in the infrastructure of the operating system aimed at closing vulnerabilities that have been exploited by hackers and viruses.

Internet Explorer and the e-mail Outlook Express program, for example, will quarantine any suspicious executable files (those with the .EXE extensions) attached to e-mails. (Yes, there is a way to pull such files out of quarantine if you're sure they present no problems.)

Also, the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) feature, which was the service exploited by the MSBlaster worm, has been rewritten so that it runs with reduced privileges. By default, it will no longer accept unauthenticated connections.

Similarly, Microsoft tightened up the architecture of the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM), a protocol that allows software components to communicate directly over a network.

The downside of these changes is that, as Microsoft acknowledges, some applications that used to work with Windows XP may no longer run properly or at all — at least until patches are made by their authors.

In fact, although Microsoft has been working with vendors to minimize the problems, there are about 50 applications listed as having compatibility issues with SP2.

Among the most likely to have problems are Web applications and those that access network ports, such as Internet-gaming applications.

New attitude

At least as significant as the architectural changes, however, is Microsoft's change in attitude. Previously, Windows was installed with most of its security features turned off by default. Windows XP users, for example, had to navigate through numerous menus to turn on the built-in Internet Firewall.

Under SP2, the default means most security features are switched on.

There are some drawbacks to this strategy. Just as with third-party software firewalls, users will encounter more alerts warning of possible incursions and asking whether access should be granted to specified applications. Many users may find these notifications confusing and may not know how to respond.

Make no mistake, Service Pack 2 will not make Windows XP a "bulletproof" operating system. Just how effective it is will only become known over the next several months as we see how much damage legions of hackers and virus writers can wreak. They certainly are already probing the revised operating system for vulnerabilities.

At the same time, Service Pack 2 at least plugs some of the more obvious vulnerabilities in Windows XP, and users will be well advised to install it as soon as possible.

Service Pack 2 is available at the Microsoft Update site via automatic or manual update. You can also order SP2 CDs at no charge.

Bear in mind that the update only works with Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.

Patrick Marshall writes the weekly Q&A column in Personal Technology.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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