With Exploits on the Way, It's Critical Win 7 Testers R

[Night Hawk]

Software
With Exploits on the Way, It's Critical Win 7 Testers Run Tool to Safeguard Their PCs

Jason Mick (Blog) - September 21, 2009 9:51 PM

Serious security flaw reminds users of both the dangers and benefits of testing trial software

In software your security track record is ideally judged by the products you release, not the products you are developing. Nonetheless, Microsoft is drawing flack over an unpatched vulnerability in the beta and Release Candidate versions of Windows 7; Windows Vista; and Windows Server 2008. With attacks incoming, Microsoft and security experts are urging testers to run a workaround to disable to exploitable component in the meantime. The entire mess, though, goes to demonstrate both the dangers and benefits of thorough software testing.

Windows 7 is arguably the most thoroughly publicly tested piece of unreleased software in the history of software engineering. An unprecedented testing program offered up both a beta and a release candidate build to the public, with millions taking the new OS out for a test drive worldwide. Many problems were thus identified and fixed.

More at: DailyTech - With Exploits on the Way, It's Critical Win 7 Testers Run Tool to Safeguard Their PCs

 

[stormy13]

It's buried in the article, but there is a link to a fix-it tool here,

Microsoft is hard at working crafting a patch to deploy to its testers. Microsoft's next patch day is still a ways away, though -- October 13. In the meantime it's offering users a "Fix-it" tool as a a stop gap solution. The automated tool, available here, will disable the SMB 2 code and prevent its exploitation. Microsoft and security firms are strongly urging users (that includes beta testers and enthusiasts running Release Candidate versions of Windows 7) to run the tool as soon as possible, though Microsoft believes there are no working attacks currently in the wild.

Just a reminder for those that missed it, this is for the RC and not the RTM versions.

 

[Flik]

Thanks, I've just ran the tool...it wouldn't run at first until I re-read the comments the other folks had posted at DailyTech - posting it here in case anyone else has problems.

To Run the fix files, Right click on the file (Enable MicrosoftFixit50307 or Disable MicrosoftFixit50304)> Select properties> Select the Compatibility tab> Select "Run this program in compatibility mode for: Previous version of Windows"> Click Apply> Click Ok

Now run the file (as admin), you will get a Security Warning and a UAC alert (assuming you haven't gone and disabled these security features). Click Yes for both.

To confirm that it ran, check your Registry as highlighted here under Workarounds: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory...

 

[Night Hawk]

Since I still have the 64bit RC on here I tossed it on in a heartbeat just in case there is any need?