GRC | Security Now! Notes for Episode #65

Resource links for Security Now! Episode #65:

Get "allSnap" here!

Our mention and strong endorsement of Ivan Heckman's wonderful and clean little Windows "allSnap" utility (which causes all Windows windows to snap to screen and other window borders) quickly caused Ivan's GeoCities bandwidth to exceed its allotment.

You may download the latest version (v1.30.5) of allSnap directly from GRC's server with this link:

Download allSnap v1.30.5

Why Is Security So Difficult?

Google's remote POP & SMTP configuration instructions
Accessed from the Gmail Support Page, this page provides clear step-by-step instructions for accessing existing Gmail accounts from traditional mail clients using secure POP and SMTP connections.
Microsoft's XML Core Services vulnerability notice
This is Microsoft's page discussing the newly discovered vulnerability in their XML Core Services ActiveX control which, in its default configuration can be (and is being) invoked by Internet Explorer and exploited to install malware onto unsuspecting users' computers. Until Microsoft repairs this defect, users who are at high risk of exploitation (surfing unknown sites with IE and scripting enabled by default) might wish to consider setting this vulnerable control's "KillBit" in their system's registry to prohibit Internet Explorer from invoking this control.
The "Set_927892_KillBit" registry file
This file, when opened on a Windows machine, will prompt the user whether they wish to modify their registry with this file, then will set the kill bit flag for this currently vulnerable ActiveX control. Note that since setting ActiveX kill bits is becoming somewhat routine, I put the unique Microsoft knowledgebase article number in the filename to distinguish it from any future similar files.