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News on the MPack Trojan Attack, and how not to be a victim

Joe Wilcox writes on Microsoft Watch today about the the MPack Trojan, which is impacting customers, primarily in Italy, Germany, Brazil and Japan. 



“This Trojan is particularly insidious, because what people might consider to be safe Websites can infect their computers. Victims aren’t necessarily visiting bad Internet.


“Compromised sites must do more than clean up their code, as the iframe tool can automatically make changes later on. The site administrator’s credentials must be changed to prevent further compromise.

“While waiting for Microsoft’s response, Website designers might want to consider doing away with inline frames.”


eWeek reports that “Researchers at Trend Micro are reporting that as many as 10,000 Web sites have been infected with malicious code that redirects unsuspecting users to a server booby-trapped with drive-by exploits—part of a wave of attacks originating in Italy and now spreading through Europe.“


What can you do?


Microsoft continues to encourage customers to follow all of the steps of the ‘Protect Your PC‘ guidance of enabling a firewall, applying all software updates and installing anti-virus and anti-spyware software.

North American customers suspecting infection can obtain free, Microsoft security support by call 1-866-PCSAFETY.


And see my past note on how there’s no immunity from security vulnerabilities.


More info:



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Of interest: article in the weekend Times, “Remembering Dad”

Of interest this Father’s Day (Happy Father’s Day to those out there) is this article, “Remembering Dad” in the Seattle Times, in which a son (Michael Ko, a reported at the paper) remembers his dad.



“I’m 31 years old, married a year now and hoping to become a father soon. I’ve been looking with something like envy at some guy friends and the way they cradle their newborns: a relationship — a touch — so full of love and life and potential.


“I wonder what my father thought of me when I was born, what he saw when he held me up to the light and examined me head to toe, what he said to me when I slept, what dreams blossomed in his heart, what fears kept him up at night.


“The problem is, I can’t ask him now, and my mother’s answers won’t suffice. Too bad I didn’t wonder more when he was alive. I was so absorbed in my own world. And he wasn’t much of a talker. There seems to be a built-in detachment among many older Korean men.


“More than two years after my father’s death, I feel compelled to try to extract some profound meaning from our relationship.”


As Ko ends, “Maybe this is just the profound wonder and mystery of fatherhood, and no interpretation is really necessary.”


Maybe so.


Now I’m off to spend the day with my boys. Enjoy your Sunday.

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Article & Video: BusinessWeek on “Customer Service Champions”

Of interest is this video clip from BusinessWeek on “Customer Service Champions” from their report earlier in the year, a ranking of the top companies that put the customer first. 


On tap in the report is a look at how the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain (number 11 on BW’s list) focuses on service values and how to engage the customer.



Video still“From hotel chains to retailers, BusinessWeek reveals the companies that do the best job of catering to you. We’ll take a closer look at a luxury hotel company that made the list and show you how it’s taking personalized service one step beyond.”


“In BusinessWeek’s first-ever ranking of the best providers of customer service, we set out to find the service champions, but also to dig into the techniques, strategies, and tools they use to make the customer king. To launch the process, we created a list based largely on brands in J.D. Power & Associates’ database. In addition, we polled 3,000 of our readers, generating a pool of names most associated with treating customers well. We then asked J.D. Power, which, like BusinessWeek, is owned by The McGraw-Hill Companies, to survey customers about the brands that were nominated by readers but not already in its database.”


In BusinessWeek’s top ten…



  1. USAA Insurance

  2. Four Seasons Hotels

  3. Cadillac

  4. Nordstrom

  5. Wegmans Food Markets

  6. Edward Jones

  7. Lexus

  8. UPS

  9. Enterprise Rent-a-Car

  10. Starbucks 

What makes a customer service chapion? BusinessWeek says that it’s a combination of great people, great products and great execution.


Of interst: Apple is #18: “Despite frustration about iPod battery replacements, Apple’s customer service phone support ranks tops among electronics providers. In particular, customers rate its automated phone system as easy to navigate and good at resolving questions.”

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TechNet article: Mark Russinovich on Windows Vista User Account Control

I’ve received several mails asking for more info on User Account Control (UAC) since my last blog entry on Windows Vista UAC.


Mark Russinovich from our group has a new article on TechNet, “Inside Windows Vista User Account Control” from the June 2007 issue of TechNet Magazine. Mark explains in depth the architecture UAC, how its used and the benefits to users and administrators…



“Running as standard user has numerous benefits, including helping to protect systems from accidental or deliberate damage and protecting the data and integrity of users sharing a system from unauthorized access. UAC’s various changes and technologies will result in a major shift in the Windows usage model. With Windows Vista, Windows users can for the first time perform most daily tasks and run most software using standard user rights, and many corporations can now deploy standard user accounts.”


I learned more about UAC in this one session than I have to date in my work with Vista, particularly in explaining how UAC provides easy access to administrative rights. Certainly worth the time to read and reference. 


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Post report: Vista limits choices, when others say we have too many

I read this morning in the Washington Post that Vista Limits Choices (or so Alan Sipress and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum report), as well as in this related article in the Post on Vista from Michael Liedtke.



“Internet search leader Google Inc. is trying to convince federal and state authorities that Microsoft Corp.’s Vista operating system is stifling competition as the high-tech heavyweights wrestle for the allegiance of personal computer users.


“In a 49-page document filed April 18 with the U.S. Justice Department and state attorneys general, Google alleged that the latest version of Microsoft’s Windows operating system impairs the performance of “desktop search” programs that find data stored on a computer’s hard drive.”


Whew… I thought that this was in reference to Steve Jobs’ comments on the number of Windows Vista choices available to customers… 



“Set to launch in October, Leopard will be priced at $129 USD, just like previous Mac OS X releases. In a swipe against Microsoft and Windows Vista, Jobs explained the pricing behind Leopard: “Basic version, $129. Premium version, $129. Business version, $129. Enterprise version $129. Ultimate version, $129,” he said.”


Thanks, Apple. BTW, it’s [Windows Vista] Home Basic.


Hmmm… I wasn’t aware that Leopard offers BitLocker capabilities, advanced entertainment recording and management, and other capabilities… 😉


At retail, I heard it explained quite clearly yesterday by a sales rep at a local office supply chain store about the different editions of Windows Vista. (See this handy Vista feature comparison chart.) He went through the various versions and narrowed down the customer’s choices to Windows Vista Home Premium and “in some power user cases, you might consider Windows Vista Ultimate.”


IMHO, most consumers and home PC users should consider new computers or an upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium. This version offers improved mobile computer power management, Tablet PC support, Windows Media Center support (esp when you have an on-board radio or TV tuner card). Most laptops I saw at retail this weekend featured this version. For basic computers, such as a kid’s PC or a current laptop running Windows XP, I would suggest Windows Vista Home Basic edition.