End of Windows Live Messenger: Microsoft Replacing Live Messenger With Skype

End of Windows Live Messenger: Microsoft Replacing Live Messenger With Skype

In 2011 the Redmond based software giant Microsoft acquired Skype Communications for US$8.5 billion, later we have seen several ups and downs, along with compliment and criticism of this acquirement. But we have to remember that, it is Microsoft Corporation, who always have done the very best to make its product successful. In case of Skype the same ting happened. Microsoft announced Tuesday that it is retiring Windows Live Messenger & chat tool and replace it with Skype's messaging tool. Microsoft said Windows Live Messenger (WLM) would be turned off by March 2013 worldwide, with the exception of China. This move will allow consumers to use Skype's features such as chat on all platforms including iPad and Android tablets; send instant messages; make video calls; share their screen; join a group chat; and call contacts on their mobile or land lines. This announcement from Microsoft is made in an effort to make Skype the company's main instant messaging software. It reflects the firm's determination to focus its efforts on Skype. 

For the information of VOGH readers, WLM launched in 1999 when it was known as MSN Messenger. According to survey MSN had more than 330 million active users world wide. According to internet analysis firm Comscore, Windows Live Messenger (WLM) still had more than double the number of Skype's instant messenger facility at the start of this year in the US, and was second only in popularity to Yahoo Messenger. But the report suggested WLM's US audience had fallen to 8.3 million unique users, representing a 48% drop year-on-year. By contrast, the number of people using Skype to instant message each other grew over the period. Microsoft highlighted the fact that WLM was still more popular than Yahoo's product in most other territories, but nevertheless decided to call time on the service. To ease the changeover, Microsoft is offering a tool to migrate WLM messenger contacts over. In order to transition over to Skype, just download the latest version, then select the option to sign in with your Microsoft account on the sign in screen. You will then be asked if you’re already using Skype or are a new user. If you use Skype and Messenger already, you can merge your Skype and Messenger account into your Microsoft account. Skype says it will assist users over the coming months to smoothly transition over from Windows Live Messenger. The move is nothing too surprising — it seemed obvious that Microsoft wanted to take advantage of its acquisition of the popular IM and video chat client. So far, it looks like Microsoft is on the right track to do that.

For detailed information about this story Click Here

-Source (Skype, BBC)

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Google Vs. Microsoft (For Cloud)

Google has locked horns with Microsoft in a high-stakes showdown to dominate what could be the next great mother lode of Internet-derived profits. Each is seeking to attract businesses to lease its hosted versions of essential communications and office programs, instead of maintaining these basic tools in house. It's an emerging form of digital office outsourcing — often referred to as cloud computing — one which Microsoft's outspoken CEO, Steve Ballmer, has vowed to own. "At Microsoft, for the cloud, we're all in," Ballmer told an auditorium full of University of Washington computer science students last spring. "It's just a great time to be all-in and really drive the next generation of technology advances." The software giant recently released a near-final test version of Office 365, a hybrid of its ubiquitous productivity software suite. Tuned for the Internet, Office 365 extends the slow-but-steady advances the company has been making since 2002 in delivering business programs over the Web, much as a utility delivers water or electricity. But now that's being challenged again by search-advertising company Google. At its recent Google I/O developer conference, Google made a move to steal some of Ballmer's thunder. There, Google unveiled Chromebooks, stripped-down computers optimized to run its hosted messaging, calendaring and collaboration tools. "Chromebooks is actually a huge leap forward for cloud computing," says Dave Girouard, Google's president of enterprise. "We're excited about putting more pieces of the puzzle together. Our aim is to be No.1 in cloud computing." Delivering software over the Internet is nothing new. Cloud computing occurs when an individual accesses services housed on a third-party server rather than a local PC. Consumers use cloud computing with free Web mail services and popular social-networking sites. The race among Amazon, Google and Apple to popularize cloud-based storage of your music collection is yet another example. And Salesforce.com and NetSuite have long supplied businesses with specialized customer relationship management and bookkeeping programs as hosted services. Yet, a confluence of developments has buoyed the big pushes by Microsoft and Google to extend cloud computing to basic workplace tools: e-mail, messaging, calendaring, word processing, spreadsheets, slide presentations and file sharing. Many companies that hunkered down during the recession are eager to refresh aging systems. Security has become a major pain, and everything is getting more complex as mobile-device use rises. And capital spending budgets are as tight as ever. A desire to become more efficient and reduce long-term costs was identified as an influential factor by 60% of information technology buyers from government agencies recently surveyed by CompTIA, a non-profit association for IT pros. For the tech companies wrestling for the future of office software, the stakes are high. Tech researcher Gartner forecasts that global spending on e-mail, collaboration and cloud-based applications will more than double to $20.7 billion by 2014, up from $9.8 billion this year. 


Cloud savings 
Now cloud computing is getting a second look by often-conservative IT buyers because Internet connectivity has become ubiquitous, and data storage, dirt cheap, says Wes Miller, industry analyst at research firm Directions on Microsoft. "But the real reason people are flocking to it has to do with saving money, whether directly or indirectly." In many cases, the first basic tool companies look to outsource is e-mail. Shane Ochotny, tech architect at Tampa General Hospital, had four technicians working full time maintaining e-mail for 7,000 employees, including 1,000 physicians, spread through the hospital, a clinic and separate administrative offices. After testing several hosted e-mail services, including Google's Gmail, Ochotny chose to outsource e-mail, instant messaging and video conferencing to Microsoft; the software giant first began offering hosted e-mail in 2002, and it added other services in 2005 and 2008. That freed four technicians to create a customized program that provides instant e-mail access to new workers. Next up for the hospital's techs: developing a way to integrate video conferencing with instant messaging and voice over Internet. While some analysts worry that cloud outsourcing will ultimately cut employment, Tampa General's experience is likely more the norm. "Moving stuff that isn't central to the business into the cloud frees up IT people to work on systems that are central," says Rob Helm, analyst at Directions on Microsoft. The hospital is one of the early testers of Office 365, which features a lightweight version of Office that can be accessed by workers from any device with an Internet browser. Ochotny is prepping a test to see if Microsoft's approach to cloud computing — which continues to require traditional desktop PC software in combination with new hosted services — can be tweaked to let doctors and nurses instant message each other on their iPhones, as well as BlackBerry, Android and Windows Phone 7 smartphones. "Since we spend less time on maintenance, we can focus on innovation and better use of existing tools," says Ochotny. Microsoft's huge advantage over Google: "The sheer number of companies of literally every size for whom Office is the de facto productivity suite," says Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. "After years of fumbling with its online strategy, Microsoft now has a viable plan with Office 365 to entice enterprises to dip a toe in." 


Google’s cloud 
Google's strategy is 100% cloud-based. Basic versions of Gmail and its office productivity suite, Google Apps, are free to consumers; businesses pay a monthly per-user fee for commercial versions. It all runs through a Web browser on servers owned and maintained by Google. This arrangement works especially well for businesses looking to extend Internet communications and file sharing to managers in far-flung operations or to workers on the factory floor or out in the field. Jason's Deli, a Beaumont, Texas-based restaurant chain, uses Google Docs to schedule meetings, share reports and plan events among managers working in 230 eateries, five corporate offices and two food distribution hubs. "Our use cases are wide and varied," says Kevin Verde, chief information officer of Jason's Deli. "We currently have 10,000 documents that our users are collaborating on using Google Docs." When Google approached Jason's Deli about testing Chromebooks, Verde says, he was skeptical that a device built solely to access a Web browser, and which could not store files nor run applications as a tablet or laptop PC could, would prove useful. But he distributed test models to sales reps who spend all day pitching catering services to schools, churches and local businesses. He was pleasantly surprised. Using Chromebooks, the reps could tap into spreadsheets and monitor successful sales campaigns in other regions. They could access customer relationship management programs hosted by Salesforce.com. Verde is now a Chromebook fan. "The administration side of the Chromebook is almost effortless, and that is a big deal for corporate IT," he says. But can Google make any meaningful encroachment on Microsoft's turf? Chromebook, while intriguing, is going head-to-head against tablets and netbooks, priced roughly the same. "The competitive landscape has been complicated by the emergence of tablets, particularly the iPad," analyst King says. "Though tablets essentially offer the same browser-centric experience Google is promoting, they also enhance the user experience via a wide variety of apps." Google remains undaunted. In an effort to entice Microsoft Office fans to give Google Docs a whirl, the search giant in March 2010 reportedly spent $25 million to acquire start-up DocVerse, launched by two former Microsoft engineers. DocVerse subsequently came out in February as Google Connect, a free browser plug-in that lets users access Microsoft Office files using Google Apps. "It really knocks down some of the last reasons people have for not wanting to use Google," says Girouard. "This makes it easier." Microsoft swiftly counterpunched., with officials lambasting Google Connect in the tech media for ruining the formatting of complicated Office docs. Lately, they've been spinning Connect as a concession that Office cannot be displaced. "Google was trying to shoehorn a consumer offering, Google Apps, into an enterprise value proposition, by telling customers, 'You don't need Office anymore,'" says Tim O'Brien, general manager of Microsoft's platform strategy. "That strategy failed. So now they've changed tack and are telling customers, 'We don't think Office is going anywhere soon, so let us show you how our product can work alongside of it.'" Maybe, but Microsoft can't get complacent, analysts say. Google claims more than 30 million "active users" of Google Apps at some 3million businesses, with more than 3,000 new sign-ups every day. That includes midsize companies, such as Virgin America and National Geographic, and a few large ones, such as Jaguar Land Rover, Motorola andInterContinental Hotels. "Google is a serious wannabe contender," says King. "The search giant has to be taken seriously if only because it has deep pockets and a strong will."

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Microsoft Announces Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure Procedures And First Two Vulnerability Advisories

Microsoft announced that it will be actively demonstrating its commitment to Coordinated Vulnderability Disclosure (CVD) by publishing CVD documents and releasing Microsoft Vulnerability Research (MSVR) Advisories on vulnerabilities discovered by Microsoft but fixed by affected vendors. Microsoft hopes that these documents will provide more transparency and insight into their disclosure philosophy and about how they go through the process.

CVD documents clarify how Microsoft responds as a vendor impacted by the vulnerabilities in their own products and services. These documents also demonstrate how Microsoft acts as a finder of vulnerabilities in third-party products and services, and how they act as a coordinator of such vulnerabilities. Read more on CVDs here (word document).

MSVR advisories cover security vulnerabilities that Microsoft or other security researchers discovered in third-party products or services. Microsoft discloses the vulnerabilities to the affected vulnerabilities using procedures described in the Coordinated Vulnerbility Disclosure.

Additionally, yesterday, Microsoft released the first two MSVR advisories which cover issues discovered by Microsoft in third party products, MSVR11-001 and MSVR11-002. Vulnerability 001 covers a vulnerability affecting the Google Chrome browser in versions prior to 6.0.472.59. This vulnerability affects the Sandbox in Chrome and could actually allow an attacker to run arbitrary code inside of Chrome's Sandbox. If the attacker fully exploited this vulnerability your browser would become unresponsive and/or exit unexpectedly; the attacker could run arbitrary code. Vulnerability 002 affects Google Chrome versions 8.0.552.210 and earlier, and Opera versions 10.62 and earlier; 002 addresses an information disclosure vulnerability which exists in the implementation of HTML5 in these browsers. If an attacker successfully exploited this vulnerability they could obtain private information from you.

As always, you should keep your system and programs on automatic update to get the most up to-date bug-free versions. To learn more about each vulnerability visit the Microsoft Vulnerability Research Advisories page.

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Chrome Has Been Detected as Malware By Microsoft Anti Virus

Google has released a new version of Chrome after Microsoft's antivirus software flagged the browser as malware and removed it from about 3,000 people's computers on Friday.
Microsoft apologized for the problem and updated its virus definition file to correct the false-positive problem.
But not before the damage was done. Even though the problem directly affected only a relatively tiny fraction of Chrome users, Google decided to spin up and distribute updated beta and stable versions of Chrome.
"Earlier today, we learned that the Microsoft Security Essentials tool began falsely identifying Google Chrome as a piece of malware ("PWS:Win32/Zbot") and removing it from people's computers," said Mark Larson, Chrome engineering manager, in a blog post Friday. "We are releasing an update that will automatically repair Chrome for affected users over the course of the next 24 hours."
Win32/Zbot is a trojan horse that lets attacker steal passwords and gain access to a victim's computer--not the sort of product anyone would want associated with their Web browser.

Microsoft had this statement about the mistake:-

Information about incorrect detection of Google Chrome as PWS:Win32/Zbot
On September 30th, 2011, an incorrect detection for PWS:Win32/Zbot was identified and as a result, Google Chrome was inadvertently blocked and in some cases removed. Within a few hours, Microsoft released an update that addresses the issue. Signature versions 1.113.672.0 and higher include this update. Affected customers should manually update Microsoft Security Essentials with the latest signatures. After updating the definitions, reinstall Google Chrome. We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused our customers.
To get the latest definitions, simply launch Microsoft Security Essentials, go to the update tab and click the Update button. The definitions can be updated manually by visiting the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971606
PWS:Win32/Zbot is a password-stealing trojan that monitors for visits to certain websites. It allows limited backdoor access and control and may terminate certain security-related processes."

Google also provided detailed instructions on how to update the Microsoft Security Essential virus definition file and to reinstall Chrome. It's good that both companies worked to tidy this problem up swiftly, but perhaps Microsoft should have included Google, not just its customers, in its apology.

-News Source (Cnet)

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Microsoft Unveils Office 365 With Cloud, Web Apps & Many More (Available For Download)

Microsoft Unveils Office 365 With Cloud, Web Apps & Many More (Available For Download)

The software giant Microsoft on Monday unveiled the next version of Microsoft Office which indeed is a dramatic departure from the software that millions of users have come to know, built for the cloud and for touch-based computing and packed with features that make it more social and, Microsoft hopes, more intuitive to use than past releases. With this version Microsoft is offering consumers the option of performing many chores through a Web browser, rather than installing programs on their personal computers. Users will still be able to buy and install Office 2013, as the new version is called, but Microsoft plans to offer incentives for people to opt for a Web-based subscription variant known as Office 365. 

"Your modern Office thinks cloud first," said CEO Steve Ballmer, at an event here Monday.

Office 2013 is designed to work on traditional PCs, tablets or hybrid devices that combine touchscreen capability on a clam-shell style laptop, Microsoft said. Hardware options include devices that use conventional PC-style chips from Intel Corp., or those running cellphone-style chips based on designs from ARM Holdings PLC, the company said.

Microsoft already offers Office 365 as a companion service to businesses, and the company has a little-discussed bare-bones online version of Office called Office Web Apps. But Microsoft says this is Office's biggest foray in the cloud. Microsoft said the overhaul is designed to respond to issues such as the desire for consumers to synchronize and preserve data files as they move among multiple mobile devices and PCs. Even for people who opt to buy rather than subscribe to the software, Microsoft said Office will automatically save and store files on SkyDrive—its online-file-storage service—letting users return to where they left off in documents.

Users who opt for the subscription service will receive an additional 20 gigabytes of SkyDrive storage capacity on top of the standard seven gigabytes given to new customers. They will have rights to future upgrades as well as to use Office on up to five computers or mobile devices. 

Customer & Technical Preview of the new Office 365 is available now to Download and test.

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Microsoft Plugs Internet Explorer Security Hole (Which was Exposed in A Contest)

Microsoft last week patched the last vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE) used by a researcher in March to win $15,000 at the
The company had patched IE twice before to quash bugs exploited by Stephen Fewer of Harmony Security to bring down IE8 on Windows 7 at Pwn2Own. For his efforts, Fewer was awarded a cash prize of $15,000 and a Sony notebook.

Microsoft internet explorer Fewer chained three exploits , each for a different vulnerability, to bypass IE's sandbox, called "Protected Mode," and compromise IE8. Pwn2Own sponsor HP Tipping Point called the feat "impressive" at the time.
Microsoft patched the third IE bug in a multiple-flaw update to its browser, part of a 13-bulletin collection .
Although Microsoft credited Fewer in the MS11-057 bulletin for reporting the third vulnerability, it said the bug wasn't a security flaw. "Yes, this update addresses a Protected Mode bypass issue, publicly referenced as CVE-2011-1347," Microsoft said in response to an FAQ query, "Does this update contain any non-security related changes to functionality?"
At Pwn2Own, Fewer used the bypass bug to escape Protected Mode so he could circumvent the browser's sandbox, which allowed him to add a file to the machine, a task that mimicked a hacker's insertion of malware.

Fewer confirmed that last week's IE update fixed the final flaw he used at Pwn2Own.
"Yes MS11-057 patches the final bug, the protected mode bypass, that I used in my Pwn2Own exploit, the other two being a use-after-free which was patched in MS11-018 and an information leak patched in MS11-050," Fewer said today in an email reply to questions.

Earlier Flaws Addressed

MS11-018 and MS11-050 were the designations of the April and June bulletins, respectively, that patched the two other vulnerabilities he reported to Microsoft via Tipping Point's bug bounty program.
According to Aaron Portnoy, manager of TippingPoint security research team and the company's Pwn2Own organizer, Tuesday's IE update wraps up patching for the 2011 contest.
During Pwn2Own, Microsoft said that IE9, the browser that launched shortly after Fewer's hack, did not contain the bugs he exploited.
Including Tuesday's update, IE9 has been patched twice since its March launch. Of the August bugs Microsoft acknowledged as security issues, one was reported by Fewer.
"Yes, I have been doing some research into IE9 and actually my first IE9 vulnerability was also patched this Tuesday as part of MS11-057," Fewer said, referring to a separate bug he was credited with this week.
That flaw, dubbed "CVE-2011-1964," was reported via TippingPoint to Microsoft in May, and was ranked critical for IE9 when run on Vista or Windows 7.
Fewer wouldn't commit to taking on IE9 at next year's Pwn2Own, but he left the door open to a repeat performance. "I don't have any plans as of yet for next year's competition, but if I have a few new bugs handy closer to the time, who knows?"
August's security updates, including MS11-057 for IE, can be downloaded and installed via the Microsoft Update and Windows Update services, as well as through Windows Server Update Services.

-News Source (PC-World)

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Microsoft Patches Windows Phone Against Comodo Hack

Microsoft is rolling out updates to devices and platforms, including Windows Phone 7, affected by the fraudulent SSL certificates issued by Comodo. It is nice to see Microsoft both willing and able to get updates out to its phone platform in a timely manner. After the delays of the February 2011 update and the March NoDo update, people were beginning to wonder.

Just this week Microsoft started rolling out NoDo to the HTC Surround on AT&T and to customers of Optus in Australia. Telestra customers are in the "scheduling" phase which means they should get the update in a few days. NoDo was released in March, so for some this is coming six weeks late. 

As a result of being forced to wait by some carriers that didn't take their customers' desire for copy and paste seriously, some people took a shortcut. There was a hack (by the same people that gave us Chevron7) that would download the update directly from Microsoft, bypassing the carrier entirely. Microsoft warned that this wasn't a smart thing to do. The consequences of this rogue update process may leave the phone in an unpredictable state and prevent further updates. Turns out Microsoft was right.

The Comodo issue involved mail.google.com, login.live.com, login.skype.com, www.google.com, and five other popular sites. While Comodo has added the bad certificates to its certificate revocation list, Microsoft decided to patch Windows Phone 7 as well as most of its supported desktop platforms. Windows Mobile 6.x, the Kin, and all Zune devices are affected as well, but no word yet on whether or not they will get updated. 

As Microsoft began releasing the new update, dubbed 7392, it discovered that phones that had the Chevron7/NoDo hack wouldn't take the update. Their response? "We told you so" about sums it up. Honestly, I see no other reasonable response for Microsoft to make. Why should they spend any resources customizing an update to work on a device that has been hacked and configured in an unexpected way?

That said, the creators of Chevron7 developed another fix to undo the mess they made and Microsoft worked with them to verify it put the devices back the way they were so 7392, and presumably future updates, would take.

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NSS Labs are Now Offering Rewards Money for Fresh Exploits

NSS Labs is sweetening the pot for its ExploitHub marketplace by offering rewards to security gurus who can write working exploits for a dozen "high-value" vulnerabilities. The company, which has set aside US$4,400 in reward money, plans to give $100 to $500 to the first people to submit a working exploit for the vulnerabilities. Ten of the vulnerabilities concern Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser and two were found in Adobe's Flash multimedia program.
The exploits must be client-side remote exploits that can result in code execution. Proof-of-concept code and denial-of-service conditions do not qualify. NSS Labs will pay the developer with American Express gift cards. Residents from countries that the U.S. has a standing embargo against are not allowed to participate.
NSS Labs said that those who win can then sell their exploits on ExploitHub, a marketplace the company set up for penetration testers to acquire exploits to test against their infrastructure. ExploitHub was set up to help with the development of penetration testing tools and to assist computer security researchers.
Those who write the winning exploits may then sell their code on ExploitHub, with NSS Labs taking a 30 percent commission. Penetration testers can also make requests via the marketplace for exploits for specific vulnerabilities. Those who want to buy exploits are vetted by NSS Labs to ensure the marketplace is not abused.
ExploitHub also only sells exploits for vulnerabilities that have been patched and does not host ones for zero-day vulnerabilities. 

The vulnerabilities that NSS Labs is offering the reward for are:-

1. CVE-2011-1256: Microsoft Internet Explorer CElement Memory Corruption

2. CVE-2011-1266: Microsoft Internet Explorer VML vgx.dll Use After Free

3. CVE-2011-1261: Microsoft Internet Explorer selection.empty Use After Free

4. CVE-2011-1262: Microsoft Internet Explorer Redirect Memory Corruption

5. CVE-2011-1963: Microsoft Internet Explorer XSLT Memory Corruption

6. CVE-2011-1964: Microsoft Internet Explorer Style Object Memory Corruption

7. CVE-2011-0094: Microsoft Internet Explorer CSS Use After Free Memory Corruption

8. CVE-2011-0038: Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 IESHIMS.DLL Insecure Library Loading

9. CVE-2011-0035: Microsoft Internet Explorer Deleted Data Source Object Memory Corruption

10. CVE-2010-3346: Microsoft Internet Explorer HTML Time Element Memory Corruption

11. CVE-2011-2110: Adobe Flash Player ActionScript Function Variable Arguments Information

12. CVE-2011-0628: Adobe Flash Player Remote Integer Overflow Code Execution

-News Source (PC-World)

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Registration Open For Microsoft’s Imagine Cup 2013, Prize Money Boosted

Registration Open For Microsoft’s Imagine Cup 2013, Prize Money Boosted 

After the success of  'Blue Hat' Security Contest, now it is the time for Microsoft’s Imagine Cup. Redmond based software giant Microsoft has been organizing its Imagine Cup student technology competition for the last 10 years and today, the company opened registration for the 2013 edition of this event. Students ages 16 and older can now register for their national events and the winners of these local events will be flown to St. Petersburg, Russia, where the worldwide finals will take place from July 8 to 11. For this edition of Imagine Cup, Microsoft has doubled the prize money to $300,000. Since the first Imagine Cup in 2003, says Microsoft, over 1.65 million students across the globe have participated in Imagine Cup and a number of the teams that made it to the finals (and many that have not) went on to create startups.

Here is Microsoft’s description of the new core competitions:

• World Citizenship: Honors the software application developed on Microsoft platforms with the greatest potential to make a positive impact on humanity. For example, a project might address education-, social- or healthcare-related problems.
• Games: Honors the most engaging and entertaining games targeting teens and youth, built on Microsoft platforms (Windows 8, Windows Phone, Kinect for Windows Software Development Kit, and Xbox Indie Games).
• Innovation: Honors apps that give consumers inspiration and innovation at their fingertips, whether it be a new spin on social networks, online shopping or search, built with Microsoft tools and technology.

The winners of each of these competitions will get $50,000. In addition to the core competitions, students can also compete in a number of online challenges focused on specific technologies and platforms, including Windows 8, Windows Azure and Windows Phone. For detailed information click Here.

-Source (Microsoft, Imagine Cup & TC)

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Microsoft is Expected Launch Tablet To Compete With iPad

Microsoft is Expected Launch Tablet To Compete With iPad

A Speculation is building that Microsoft is expected to introduce a tablet computer of its own design that runs a new version of its Windows operating system in an effort to compete with Apple's iPad. It is the first time in the company’s 37-year history that it will offer a computer of its own creation.

This would be a dramatic break from Microsoft's usual moves in computer hardware, where it develops the software and licenses that to hardware makers to ensure the broadest possible market. But Microsoft has fallen behind Apple and Google in the fast growing tablet market – already one-eighth as large as the PC market and forecast to be 40% by 2016. The fastest growth in tablet sales is in western countries, where PC sales are slowing, reducing sales in the Windows division in four of the past six quarters. Windows 8, to be released this year, is designed to be used on a tablet as well as a desktop PC. 

Microsoft has invited the media to an event in Los Angeles Monday afternoon, where it is expected to show its tablet device. The entertainment industry Web site The Wrap earlier reported that Microsoft planned to announce a tablet at the event.

For Microsoft, making a tablet is a risky venture. Even with the emerging competition from the iPad, Windows remains one of the greatest franchises the technology industry has known, accounting for $4.6 billion in sales during the most recently reported quarter. Those sales are rooted in Microsoft’s alliance with its hardware partners. The plans could erode the commitment those partners have to Windows since Microsoft will effectively be competing with them for sales. 

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Microsoft & SuSe Alliance (MS is Purchasing $100 Million of Support from SuSe)

Despite the problematic relationship between Microsoft and Linux vendors over the years, it’s not always been a case of frosty relationships.  Previously Microsoft decided to work closely with Novell on the Enterprise version of SUSE Linux, and now the company has renewed their alliance with SUSE by purchasing $100 million of support.
This support will be for Windows enterprise customers who are also running a SUSE machines in conjunction with their Windows boxes.  It’s a good move on the part of Microsoft to avoid upsetting business customers who are already feeling squeezed with extremely tight profit margins and software assurance costs to the Redmond giant.  The move will mean these enterprise customers won’t have to pay for further Linux support.

In a press release Microsoft said… 
”As IT operating environments become increasingly consumerized, cloud-based and automated, there is an implicit expectation that the underlying technologies from multiple vendors should work together. For this reason, the collaborative relationship between Microsoft and SUSE has come to be viewed as a model for the industry.  The joint Microsoft-SUSE collaboration has served more than 725 customers worldwide across a range of industries, such as manufacturing, oil and gas, healthcare, and financial services.”

“Our collaboration with SUSE not only helps customers to achieve success today, but also seeks to provide them with a solid foundation for tomorrow,” said Sandy Gupta, general manager of the Open Solutions Group at Microsoft. “Through our continued engagement on the technical side, an outstanding support offering from SUSE and our ability to provide mutual IP assurance, we feel confident that we will be able to deliver core value to those running mixed-source IT environments well into the future – and into the cloud.”

This move doesn’t mean that Microsoft will stop complaining about Linux or even stop suing for patent infringement, as these are just what the technology industry does (probably at the request of lawyers needing to justify their sky-high salaries).  It’s further evidence though that, deep down, technology companies around the world are more interested in building better experiences for their customers than they are feathering their own nests.

This is something I have always felt sets the tech world apart from other industries such as finance or energy.  It’s a good move and both Microsoft and Novell should be applauded for working together again.

-News Source (Ghacks)

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Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) Beta Released & Available For Download

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) beta, labelled 4.0.1111.0 is now available. Microsoft has released a new public beta of its free Security Essentials anti-malware and anti-virus software for Windows. The product is to to guard against viruses, spyware, and other evil software. It provides real-time protection for your home or small business PCs. 

Microsoft Security Essentials is free and designed to be simple to install and easy to use. It runs quietly and efficiently in the background so you don't have to worry about interruptions or making updates. Microsoft Security Essentials 4.0.1111.0 is compatible with Windows XP SP3, Vista SP1 or later, Windows 7 SP1. 

The beta of the next major release of MSE features a simplified user interface designed to make it easier to use. It includes a "new and improved protection engine" that Microsoft says provides better detection and cleanup capabilities for finding and removing security threats. Additionally, malware infections that Microsoft considers to be high impact are now automatically removed without requiring any interaction from users. As with all development releases, use in production environments and on mission critical systems is not advised. Microsoft asks users testing the release to provide feedback and report any bugs they find on the Microsoft Security Essentials Answers forum.

To Download MSE Beta Click Here (Windows Live or Microsoft Connect ID required to download) 

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Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) 4.0 Released & Available For Download

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) 4.0 Released & Available For Download

Software giant Microsoft officially launched Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) 4.0 - a new release of its free anti-virus/anti-malware program for Windows PCs. Last year we got the beta version of MSE labeled 4.0.1111.0. Microsoft officials said the 4.0 release would include a streamlined interface; a renamed version of the SpyNet service (now slated to be known as Microsoft Active Protection Services); new automatic remediation functionality; and overall improved performance and detection capabilities. This update to Microsoft Security Essentials is part of the standard product update release cycle. This service update contains product enhancements to improve performance and user experience. We have improved on Microsoft Security Essentials' Automatic Remediation, which will automatically quarantine highly harmful threats without prompting the user to take action as well as minor bug fixes in set up, malware remediation and other areas." 

With MSE, there is no registration required, no trials with an expiration date or required renewals. But Microsoft does restrict the MSE download (both the beta and final) to PCs running Genuine Windows (which has been authenticated as non-pirated). 

To Download Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) 4.0 Click Here

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For the first time, Microsoft CEO Ballmer referred to the next version of Windows as "Windows 8"

For the first time, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer referred to the next version of Windows as "Windows 8" – it was during remarks at a Microsoft Developer Forum in Japan, as opposed to an official press event for Windows, but it's still worth noting. Furthermore, Ballmer specifically said the next generation of Windows systems will be out next year.

We've been referring to Windows 7's successor as Windows 8 for a long time now, so many might think this isn't a big deal, but it is. Microsoft has made a point never to refer to the next version of Windows as Windows 8, and has instead publicly called it "Windows Next" or the "next generation of Windows." The company has also refused to give a timeframe for a release date, merely saying that it won't come sooner than three years after the release of Windows 7 (October 22, 2009).

Here is the relevant quote from Ballmer, courtesy of Microsoft's own transcript:

We're obviously hard at work on the next version of Windows. Windows 7 PCs will sell over 350 million units this year. We've done a lot in Windows 7 to improve customer satisfaction. We have a brand new user interface. We've added touch, and ink, and speech. And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there's a whole lot more coming. As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors.

To make things a bit more interesting, Microsoft is saying Ballmer made a mistake. "It appears there was a misstatement," a Microsoft spokesperson told ZDNet. "We are eagerly awaiting the next generation of Windows 7 hardware that will be available in the coming fiscal year. To date, we have yet to formally announce any timing or naming for the next version of Windows."

In other words, despite what Ballmer said, Microsoft is still not ready to announce the name of Windows 7's successor, or when it will arrive. It's still very probable that Ballmer's statement was accurate, but to what extent we'll have to wait a little while longer.

Windows 8 build 7850, the first leaked Windows 8 build, hit the Internet last month. It was quickly followed by Windows 8 Build 7955 a few weeks later. Windows Server 8 build 7959 then leaked earlier this month.

If you see a download claiming to be newer than build number 7959, be careful as it is likely bogus and probably contains malware. We may not see new leaks for a while given that Microsoft is rumored to have recently fired two employees for this exact reason.

Microsoft announced earlier this year that Windows 8 will support Intel, AMD, and ARM architectures. Although a rumor suggests that Windows 8 will arrive on January 7, 2013, we expect that the operating system will ship in time for the 2012 holiday season.

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Microsoft is Making Windows 8 Compatible For Mobile Devices

The software industry's attention is riveted on Microsoft. Software developers from around the world have convened at a conference, called Build, in Anaheim, Calif., where Microsoft will unveil details about Windows 8, the next version of its cash-cow PC operating system. Windows 8 is on course to replace Windows 7 roughly a year from now.
This won't be just another upgrade. Windows 8 is nothing less than the linchpin to Microsoft's strategy for keeping Windows relevant — if not resurgent — as the shift to the post-PC computing era unfolds.
"The stakes are huge," says Charles King, principal analyst at research firm Pund-IT. "The company must play outside its comfort zone, but if Microsoft succeeds, the potential opportunities could be significant."
Microsoft declined to comment, preferring to reveal technical details at Build, says Frank X. Shaw, corporate communications vice president.
Traditional PCs remain by far the most widely used computing tools out there. The installed base of Windows desktop and laptop computers in use in homes and businesses globally exceeds 807 million and is projected to top 920 million next year, according to market researcher Gartner. Even so, Microsoft has fallen behind as consumers and workers begin to spend more time using touch tablets and smartphones to work, play and socialize. Sales of smartphones will soar 56%, to 467.6 million, this year, while sales of touch tablets will grow nearly four times, to 69.8 million this year, Gartner says.
Internet-connected mobile devices that respond to fingertip touches, instead of a mouse and keyboard or a keypad, are all the rage. The soaring popularity of Apple's iPhone and iPad touch tablet and Google Android smartphones have, in turn, spawned a burgeoning universe of graphical, touch-enabled software apps.
Microsoft, meanwhile, has scrambled to keep up in smartphones and has been left in the dust on touch tablets.
Yet, Windows and the ubiquitous Office clerical suite remain pivotal to the software giant's future, generating combined revenue of $41.23 billion and operating income of $26.4 billion in Microsoft's 2011 fiscal year, ending June 30. However, Windows revenue dipped 1% to $4.7 billion in the fourth quarter. For the fiscal year, Windows revenue fell 2% to $19 billion, while Windows operating profit dropped 6% to $12.3 billion.
Those slippages underscore the notion that "the post-PC world is about smartphones and tablets and their blazingly fast rates of innovation," says Scott Ellison, mobile industry analyst at IDC. "Microsoft needs to prove it can be more than a slow follower."

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Microsoft Released Emergency Patch Fix To Block Duqu Zero-Day exploit

Microsoft released emergency patch to fix the newly found zero-day exploit in windows kernel. The attack, discovered by Hungarian researchers, exploits a vulnerability in Windows' TrueType font engine. A full fix for the problem is still pending, and will not be part of Microsoft's "Patch Tuesday" fixes for November. In the company's security advisory Microsoft said that attackers exploiting the TrueType vulnerability—which Duqu exploited through a Microsoft Word document—could gain access to the Windows kernel and run shell code. "The attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights," Microsoft's statement said.
As a temporary workaround, Microsoft recommends shutting off access to T2EMBED.DLL, the dynamic link library that allows applications to display TrueType fonts. While the fix will prevent attacks, it also means that fonts won't display properly in applications. But Microsoft's security team sees the threat from Duqu as limited, stating that "overall, we see low customer impact at this time."

• To know about the Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for November 2011 click Here

• To download the emergency patch released by Microsoft click Here 

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Microsoft to issue critical Windows bulletin, revamps Exploitability Index

Microsoft is planning a light patching month in May, indicating in its advance notification to customers on Thursday that it would issue two bulletins on Patch Tuesday, one rated “critical,” addressing a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows.

The software giant said the critical bulletin addresses a single Windows vulnerability affecting Windows Server 2003, 2008 and 2008 r2. A second bulletin, rated “important” addresses two flaws in Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2002, 2003 and 2007, as well as Microsoft Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac. The bulletins are scheduled to be issued on May 10.

Exploitability Index changes
In addition, Microsoft announced changes to its Exploitability Index, designed to help IT administrators prioritize patching deployments. The index assigns a number based on the likelihood of functioning exploit code surfacing over the first 30 days of a patch release.

The revamped index will include two index ratings per vulnerability, assigning a rating for the most recent platform and for older versions of the software. The goal of the changes are to make vulnerability assessment more clear and digestible for customers, wrote Maarten Van Horenbeeck, senior security program manager, in the Microsoft Security Response Center blog.

“This change makes it easier for customers on recent platforms to determine their risk given the extra security mitigations and features built in to Microsoft’s newest products,” wrote Van Horenbeeck. “Under the previous system, vulnerabilities were given an aggregate rating across all product versions.”

Van Horenbeeck said the Exploitability Index was criticized for not taking into account more recent mitigations implemented in the operating systems, such as Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and other technologies that are in place to help prevent exploitation of vulnerabilities. ASLR, for example, is not implemented by default on Windows XP.

Denial of service risk

The revamped Exploitability Index will also take into account the risk posed by denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, which can cause a system to become unresponsive or crash. The index will indicate whether a DoS attack would be “permanent,” making a program or operating system crash and causing it to be unresponsive during an attack.

“For administrators of Internet-facing services, this can often be the difference between a highly important, and insignificant vulnerability,” wrote Van Horenbeeck.

In an review of Exploitability Index ratings over the last eight months, Microsoft found that out of a total of 256 ratings, 97 issues were less serious or not applicable in the latest version of the product. There were seven instances in which the most recent product version was affected and not older platforms.

Paul Henry, security and forensic analyst at vulnerability management vendor, Lumension Security Inc., said the revamped index improves upon an already helpful assessment tool for administrators who need to fine tune their priorities.

"Microsoft already does the best job in the industry with background info on their patches and now they have taken it up another notch," Henry wrote in an email message.

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Hackers Sending Rogue 'Microsoft Services Agreement' Emails Exploiting Java Vulnerability

Hackers Sending Rogue 'Microsoft Services Agreement' Emails Exploiting Java Vulnerability

Cyber criminals are distributing mass on the internet while sending rogue email notifications about changes in Microsoft's Services Agreement to trick people into visiting malicious pages that use a recently circulated Java exploit to infect their computers with malware. Oracle left a security flaw in one of the world’s most widely used programs unpatched for four months and then issues a half-baked fix, the company is practically inviting cyber criminals to exploit its users en mass. And as expected the invitation has been accepted.

The rogue email messages are copies of legitimate notifications that Microsoft sent out to users to announce changes to the company's Services Agreement that will take effect Oct. 19. "This email is a legitimate announcement regarding updates to the Microsoft Services Agreement and Communication Preferences," a Microsoft program manager for supporting mail technologies who identifies herself as Karla L, said on the Microsoft Answers website in response to a user inquiring about the authenticity of the email message.

However, she later acknowledged the existence of reports about malicious emails that use the same template. "If you received an email regarding the Microsoft Services Agreement update and you're reading your email through Hotmail or Outlook.com, the legitimate email should have a Green shield that indicates the message is from a Trusted Sender," she said. "If the email does not have a Green shield, you can mark the email as a Phishing scam." 

However, in the malicious versions of the emails, the correct links have been replaced with links to compromised websites that host attack pages from the Blackhole exploit toolkit. Blackhole is a tool used by cybercriminals to launch Web-based attacks that exploit vulnerabilities in browser plug-ins like Java, Adobe Reader or Flash Player, in order to install malware on the computers of users who visit compromised or malicious websites.

This type of attack is known as a drive-by download and is very effective because it requires no user interaction to achieve its goal. The malicious Java applet used in this attack is detected by only eight of the 42 anitivirus engines available on the VirusTotal file scanning service. The Zeus variant has a similarly low detection rate.

"We're receiving multiple reports of a phishing campaign using the template from a legitimate Microsoft email regarding Important Changes to Microsoft Services Agreement and Communication Preferences," Russ McRee, security incident handler at the SANS Internet Storm Center, said Saturday in a blog post.

-Source (Info World)

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Windows 8 Consumer Preview & Windows Server 8 Beta By Microsoft (Freely Downloadable)

Microsoft Released Windows 8 Consumer Preview & Windows Server 8 Beta (Freely Downloadable)

A double boom for Windows lovers. Software giant Microsoft has officially released the Consumer Preview Windows 8 & Windows Server 8 Beta.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview :-

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview offers a more robust experience for testing the world's most popular operating system and is available to the widest range of people yet following the initial release of the Windows 8 Developer Preview late last year. The Developer Preview received more than 3 million downloads.

"With Windows 8, we reimagined the different ways people interact with their PC and how to make everything feel like a natural extension of the device, whether using a Windows 8 tablet, laptop or all-in-one," said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft. "The Windows 8 Consumer Preview brings a no-compromises approach to using your PC."

The test "beta" version of the revamped system was introduced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the planet's largest cell phone trade show, and borrows some of the look of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 software for Windows 8. Windows 8 doesn't have the traditional "Start" menu, and applications are spread across a mosaic of tiles in a design Microsoft calls "Metro" -- seen as an attempt by the company as a scramble to preserve its market share. And executives said it powers up on PCs in eight seconds, much faster than the previous version.

What is New In Windows 8 Consumer Preview :-

• Broad range of product changes and improvements. Since the Developer Preview in September, designed to preview the programming platform, Windows 8 has progressed across every dimension. From completing the user experience for touch, keyboard and mouse to refining the development platform, the Consumer Preview improves performance, quality and reliability across all subsystems.

• With the added features, it represents a more complete view of the capabilities of Windows 8. Windows Store with new apps. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview marks the beta opening of the Windows Store, which is filled with a variety of new Metro style apps from both third-party developers and Microsoft. During the Consumer Preview, these apps are available to try and experience at no cost to users. The Windows Store will offer personalised recommendations, and Windows 8 gives users the ability to take their apps and settings with them across multiple PCs, making it easy to discover and try new apps while offering developers the greatest opportunity of any platform.

• Connecting to the cloud across Windows-based PCs and Windows Phone 7. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview offers seamless integration with the content people care about across their Web services. An optional additional sign-on with a Microsoft account provides access to a host of features, including the ability to roam all settings, use cloud storage, communicate with email, calendar and contacts, and connect to a broad range of services. Your connection to the cloud works across your Windows-based PCs and your Windows 7 phones.

• Internet Explorer 10 Platform Preview 5. The best way to experience the Web on Windows is with Internet Explorer 10. The browser has been re-imagined to create a new experience designed specifically for Windows 8 devices. It provides an edge-to-edge user interface that is all about less browser and more Web. Fast and fluid, Internet Explorer is hardware-accelerated to enable Web performance.

• Preview of new hardware capabilities. At the event, Microsoft also showcased Windows 8 running on a wide range of new x86- and ARM-based reference hardware. This hardware will be available to select developers for trial and testing as previously announced.

Additional details can be found on the official website of Microsoft Windows. Also Microsoft makes Windows 8 Consumer Preview is made available for free Download

Windows Server 8 Beta :- 

The beta of Windows Server 8 is now available for IT professionals and software developers around the world to download. In the Windows Server official Blog Bill Laing, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Corporation Said - In September we introduced Windows Server “8” with a preview to help developers and hardware partners prepare new and existing applications, systems and devices. The response from that community, along with hundreds of customers in our early adopters program, has been incredibly positive. A common theme of feedback has been how broad and deep the new capabilities are. Now is the time for you, IT professionals in organizations of all sizes, to get your hands on this new release, discover the new capabilities and contribute to the development of what we call the cloud-optimized OS.
I’ll highlight in this post just a few examples of new capabilities that you’ll want to explore. With the new Hyper-V we are taking virtualization above and beyond to provide a multi-tenant platform for cloud computing. For example, with Hyper-V Network Virtualization you can create virtual networks so different business units, or even multiple customers, can seamlessly share network infrastructure.  You will be able to move virtual machines and servers around without losing their network assignments. In Windows Server “8” we are delivering high availability and disaster recovery through software technology on much more cost effective hardware. For example, with File Server Transparent Failover you can now more easily perform hardware or software maintenance of nodes in a File Server cluster by moving file shares between nodes with little interruption to server applications that are storing data on those file shares. We’re also delivering a tremendous amount of new capabilities for multi-machine management and automation. You will want to explore the dramatic new improvements to Server Manager, as well as the new Windows PowerShell. With 2,300 commandlets provided out of the box, Windows PowerShell allows you to automate everything you can do manually with the user interface. And, with technologies like Intellisense, we’ve made it very easy for you to master all of that power. Additionally, Windows Server “8” provides a powerful server application platform that enables you to develop and host the most demanding of application workloads. For example, with .NET Framework 4.5 you can take advantage of new asynch language and library support to build server and web applications that scale far beyond what other platforms provide. Our new IIS 8 web server provides better security isolation and resource sand-boxing between applications, native support for web sockets, and the ability to host significantly more sites on a server.

For Additional Information & To Download Windows Server 8 Beta Click Here

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Vasilis Pappas Won 'Blue Hat' Security Contest & Grand Prize of $200,000 From Microsoft

Vasilis Pappas Won 'Blue Hat' Security Contest & Grand Prize of $200,000 From Microsoft

Earlier in last year software giant Microsoft started Blue Hat security contest. BlueHat Prize was globally  announced by the company at the 2011 Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, offers a grand prize of $200,000, a runner-up purse of $50,000, and a third-place award of a one-year subscription to MSDN Universal--a developer's platform for Microsoft products--worth $10,000--to security researchers who design the most effective ways to prevent the use of memory safety vulnerabilities. 

This year Microsoft awarded a bunch of hackers and gave away an amount of  $260,000. 'Hackers' in the good sense here, the clever programmers who won its Blue Hat security contest, including a grand prize of $200,000. 

The big prize was awarded to a PhD student at Columbia University, Vasilis Pappas, who was handed the check in an American Idol-style contest finale complete with loud music and confetti. The winners were announced during a party at the Black Hat hackers conference 2012 that just happened this week in Las Vegas. Two other guys took home significant prizes, too. Ivan Fratric, a researcher at the University of Zagreb in Croatia, got $50,000 and Jared DeMott, a Security Researcher for Harris Corp. won $10,000.

They all submitted ideas to help solve a really hard security problem called Return-Oriented Programming. ROP is a hacker technique that is often used to disable or circumvent a program's computer security controls. Twenty people submitted ideas in the contest. Without getting into too much technical detail, Pappas came up with something called kBouncer which blocks anything that looks like an ROP attack from running. It's become popular these days to pay security researchers bounties. But what's cool about the Blue Hat contest is that it paid the researcher for actually coming up with a fix to a problem. Not only Microsoft, other compaines- Google, Facebook, Paypal & many more already have their "Bug Bounty" program, where they reward researchers for simply identifying flaws in thier system. But by contrast Microsoft and Adobe don't pay bounties. Here Microsoft promised that this first Blue Hat prize won't be its last, So this may be a sign of a smart new approach to engaging with security researchers for the software giant. 

-Source (Microsoft & Business Insider)

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