Software giant fixes flaw, could face massive penalty
Published:
10 May 2003 y., Saturday
Microsoft acknowledged a security flaw Thursday in its popular Internet Passport service that left 200 million consumer accounts vulnerable to hackers and thieves — an admission that could expose the company to a hefty fine from U.S. regulators.
Microsoft said it fixed the problem early Thursday, after a Pakistani computer researcher disclosed details of it on the Internet. Product Manager Adam Sohn said the company locked out all accounts it believed had been altered using the flaw. He declined to say how many people were affected but said it was a small number.
Several security experts said they had successfully tested the procedure overnight. Sohn said the flaw had apparently existed since at least September 2002, but Microsoft investigators have found no evidence anyone tried to use the technique to seize a Passport account before last month.
Passport promises consumers a single, convenient method for identifying themselves across different Web sites and encourages purchases online of movies, music, travel and banking services.
Closely tied to Microsoft’s flagship Windows XP software, Passport also controls access for Windows users to the free Hotmail service and instant-messaging accounts.
Šaltinis:
msnbc.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Software company announced new structure_ of it_s business.
more »
Complete solutions portfolio for GSM, GPRS and UMTS by Siemens
more »
Incident follows other high-profile break-ins
more »
CeBIT 2001, which will take place in Hannover from March 22 - 28, documents more than anything else the rapid pace of development in e-commerce.
more »
The long and winding road to ".net"
more »
According to a recent survey from Qualiope done in conjunction with Ipsos-Reid France, 92% of landline telephone users and 79% of mobile/cellphone users in Western Europe are either "very" or "fairly" satisfied with the sound quality of connection
more »
Hundreds of thousands of messages from Earthlink users to AOL gets lost due to anti-spam effort
more »
Microsoft still produces the operating systems of choice to Germany's Defense Ministry, despite a report in a leading magazine saying security concerns would lead it to seek an alternative.
more »
search.lt presents newest links
more »
With the goal of encouraging Web merchants and shoppers to use personal checks for e-tail sales, the Electronic Payments Association instituted new rules Friday for how electronic checks are processed.
more »
Jeff Baker hacks into corporate computer networks for fun - period.
more »