News


Digex: IIS 6.0 Delivers the Goods

IIS 6.0 isn’t in final form yet, but that doesn’t mean it’s not in use. In fact, one of the largest managed hosting companies in the world has been using it for two years now—and not just on a test network.

Group Estimates Slammer Damage at $1 Billion

A U.K.-based security firm is estimating that economic damage from the SQL Slammer worm is already over $1 billion, making it the ninth most damaging malware attack yet in the firm's estimation.

Lawyers Confirm Late 2004 Ship Date for Longhorn

A Microsoft legal document put a late 2004 expected ship date on the next client version of Windows, code-named "Longhorn," putting in black and white what Microsoft officials have been telling partners, customers and reporters in private conversations.

Microsoft Gets Specific on Windows 2003 Security

While Microsoft has been promoting the security focus of Windows Server 2003 since delaying the operating system release in 2002 for a code review, Microsoft uncovered some specific security features in the OS for the first time last week. Newly disclosed security settings and features include details of some of the services that are disabled or running with reduced privilege by default, a Security Configuration Wizard tool that will be available this summer and new documentation for administrators configuring systems and networks for security.

Fujitsu to Build 128-processor Itanium Systems for 2005

Fujitsu Limited late last week joined the growing number of hardware vendors building massive server systems based on Intel's 64-bit Itanium processor family.

Microsoft Extends Windows NT 4 Server Support

Microsoft this week pushed back the support deadline for its Windows NT 4.0 Server products by a year to the end of 2004. So-called "extended support," which includes security support and paid incident support, will be available until Dec. 31, 2004.

SQL Slammer Hits Web Hard

The SQL Slammer worm, exploiting a vulnerability in SQL Server 2000 patched by Microsoft six months ago, flooded the Internet with traffic and infected about 35,000 hosts over the weekend.

Microsoft Appeals Java Order

Microsoft on Wednesday formally appealed a federal judge's order to start distributing Sun's Java Runtime Environment with every U.S. and German copy of Windows XP and Internet Explorer by June 4.

Veritas Refreshes Backup Tool for Windows Servers

Veritas Software this week unveiled version 9.0 of its Backup Exec for Windows Servers. The software is retooled to support Windows Server 2003, to back up Exchange servers more quickly, for faster setup and with browser-based, remote administration.

Critical Vulnerability Found in Domain Controllers

Microsoft alerted users to a critical unchecked buffer vulnerability in a service that is enabled by default on Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 domain controllers. The alert was one of three security alerts that Microsoft sent to users on Wednesday night.

Altiris Refreshes IT Asset Management Suite

Altiris released an updated version of its IT asset management suite that integrates more smoothly with common databases and provides users with new ways to look at their IT inventories.

Microsoft CRM Ships

Microsoft made its highly anticipated move into the customer relationship management market on Tuesday with the North American launch of Microsoft CRM.

Microsoft to Acquire PlaceWare

Microsoft has agreed to buy Web conferencing services provider PlaceWare Inc. and plans to add the company's assets to a new Real-Time Collaboration Group inside Microsoft's Information Worker business.

IBM Launches New iSeries Systems

IBM this week disclosed significant changes to its eServer iSeries line of mid-range servers. Once known as the AS/400 line, the servers primarily run IBM's OS/400, but they can be outfitted with Windows and Linux, as well. New to the iSeries are the addition of a new sub-$10,000 system and the introduction of support for On/Off Capacity Upgrade on Demand (CUD).

Netcraft: Windows 2000 Site Goes 2+ Years Without Reboot

It was the dream of many a Windows NT 4.0 Web site administrator applying the daily or twice-daily reboot. A Windows 2000 system that would just stay up. This month in its monthly report on Web sites around the world, Netcraft found a Windows 2000 site that hasn't needed a reboot in more than two years.

SP3 Posted for SQL Server 2000

Microsoft updated its enterprise database, SQL Server 2000, this week with a service pack that includes bug fixes and some new and enhanced functionality.

Judge Gives Microsoft 120 Days to Put Sun Java in Windows, IE

U.S. District Judge Frederick Motz on Tuesday ordered Microsoft to include a Java Runtime Environment provided by Sun Microsystems in new copies of Windows XP and Internet Explorer within 120 days.

Microsoft Announces Dividend, Record Earnings

Microsoft put up another quarter of record revenues, in part based on strong growth in its server segment. At the same time, Microsoft announced its first stock dividend, a step investors have pushed for in recent years as the days of the stock's meteoric growth have ended.

IT Security Spending to Rebound in 2003

The final numbers aren’t in, but analysts and security firms are anxious to put a disappointing 2002 behind them even as they look forward to what they say will be a more successful 2003. Over the coming year, Industry watchers expect that IT security spending will increase as firms implement postponed projects and allocate new funding for deferred purchases of security products and services.

Microsoft Opens Source Code to Some Governments

Microsoft is offering limited rights to review source code to a third of the world's governments in what is widely viewed as an attempt to blunt open source momentum among security conscious national agencies. Early participants in the program announced this week are NATO and a Russian agency.