Internet Fixes

Other Net Tools: Media and Instant Messaging

Media players: Three security defects affect RealOne Player, and they potentially allow a hacker to run arbitrary programs on your computer. The company recommends that anyone using RealPlayer 8 or earlier editions upgrade, as well. The latest (secured) version is RealOne Player version 2. Jump to the company's update page to get further details.

Microsoft Windows Media Player versions 6.4 and 7.1 and Windows Media Player for Windows XP all contain three separate security flaws. One of these problems is critical, since it could let an attacker take charge of your PC. You need the cumulative patch.

Macromedia Flash: Macromedia's Flash player has a weakness that could allow a specially written Macromedia Flash file to take control of your PC. An earlier vulnerability allowed a Flash-powered site to download information from files that are stored on your PC. To fix both problems, the company advises you to install the latest version of the Macromedia Flash player (version 6,0,65,0 or later).

Instant Messaging Software: Last year, two buffer-overflow vulnerabilities were discovered in AOL Instant Messenger that would have allowed attackers to run code on your computer or to control it remotely. AOL says that it has fixed the problem on its own servers, so AIM users don't have to make any changes themselves. But you might want to get the most recent version (5.1.3036) just to be safe.

If you're using MSN Messenger 4.5 or 4.6, or the MSN Chat Control (an ActiveX control that lets you create online chat rooms), there's a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to run code on your computer. Point your browser to Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-022 for Microsoft's patch.

Older versions of Yahoo Messenger may contain security flaws that could allow hackers to run code on your computer or to modify information in your Friend List. Yahoo recommends that you upgrade to the latest version of Yahoo Messenger (version 5.5) to fix the problem.

--Dylan Tweney