August 16, 2007
Next issue Sept. 6 — take a break!
Like a lot of people, we need a week or two off in the summer to recharge our batteries and then come back to work rejuvenated. That's why our next newsletter won't appear until Sept. 6. If any important developments occur that can't wait, we'll send you a brief "news update" to let you know. Read more »
Media players more dangerous than Windows
Windows users face the greatest security risks today not from flaws in Windows itself but from unpatched media players. That's because many Windows Secrets readers, according to an online test we sponsored, are running versions of Flash, Java, and QuickTime that are unpatched against the latest security threats. Read more »
Restrict application privileges for greater security
In recent columns, including in the Aug. 9 issue, I've told you how to limit user and application permissions in XP for greater security. Our readers have responded with their own questions and suggestions on running programs with greater or fewer privileges. Read more »
Is there a movie idea on your Start Menu?
Where does Hollywood get its ideas for those summer blockbusters? Producers don't just borrow from novels, plays, TV, and comic books, but also from major computer games like Tomb Raider, Mario Brothers, Wing Commander, and Doom. Read more »
Here's the real Start Menu entry 
In last week's article, I explained a Registry change you can make if you inadvertently "improve" the Start Menu delay time, making menu items flash so fast you can hardly click them. I made a mistake. I said that the Registry entry you should change was: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Desktop In fact, I should've told you to navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop That's where the rogue MenuShowDelay setting resides. (The default, leisurely, value is 400.) Check out my Aug. 9 column for the rest of the details on the fix. Thanks to those who wrote in to scrub my flub. Read more »
How to get private, anonymous Web surfing
Many public proxy services exist that let you both surf the Net anonymously and bypass overly restrictive content filtering systems. This week, I tell you how to easily build an entirely private, anonymous proxy service that you control at your own leisure. Read more »
Internet Explorer flaw exposes FTP credentials
Among the patches Microsoft released on Patch Tuesday this week is yet another cumulative rollup for the company's Internet Explorer browser. But an IE flaw that's been present at least since 2004 is still unpatched, because Microsoft never released a patch for IE 6 and allowed the flaw to remain in IE 7. Read more »
Malware cocktails sure to hit unpatched PCs
Microsoft ranks 6 of the 9 patches released on Aug. 14 as "Critical," and only 3 as "Important" — but I'm rating all 9 of them as critical if you use the platforms that are affected. We must patch once again for three XML, GDI, and VML threats, along with the usual Malicious Software Removal Tool updates and a new fix for 64-bit kernel protection. Read more »
