Even with the widespread controversy about the new Vista flaw being sold on the Internet, Microsoft’s Security Response Center says it is nothing to worry about, for they still have not seen any attacks directed at the vulnerabilities.

I can’t help but to find humor in that statement. Microsoft’s Security Response Center says this Vista vulnerability is not a major concern because they haven’t seen any attacks directed towards the vulnerability? That’s like me saying methane gas is completely safe because I don’t personally know anyone who has died from it. Also, I don’t think underground hacking groups would pay upwards to $50,000 for a vulnerability that is not serious…

In response to weekend reports of vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s new Windows Vista operating system, Mike Reavy of Microsoft’s Security Response Center downplayed the flaw, indicating the company has not observed any related attack activity, and pointing out that Windows Vista is Microsoft’s most secure platform yet.

Let the games begin: Now that Vista is on its way to companies around the globe, hackers, researchers, and security firms have taken aim. On one side, you’ve got the bad guys hoping to find bugs that will enable them to wreak havoc, and on the opposing side, you’ve got the good guys trying to save us from the harm that hackers plan.

This weekend, a report from the New York Times put the spotlight on a Russian programmer who discovered a Vista flaw letting hackers raise the level of a user’s permissions. In plain English, a user’s permissions determine what type of software he can install, and, whether or not he can install software at all. Often, IT departments will deny their end users a high level of permissions to prevent them from installing unauthorized software — malicious or otherwise — on their machines.[more]

Tags: Hackers, Malware, Computer Protection