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Bugs and Fixes: Risky Downloads

Stuart J. Johnston

Keep Folders Safe From Prying Eyes

Windows Millennium Edition enables you to compress directory folders and protect them with passwords. However, Microsoft recently reported that those passwords are actually written in plain text to a file on your computer. Anyone with physical access to your PC who wanted to poke through your most confidential files--and who knew where to look--would be able to access those passwords. This vulnerability does not affect any other password-protected areas (like Windows log-on). Versions of Windows 98 and 98 Second Edition with the Plus 98 add-on are also vulnerable.

Microsoft fixes the problem by preventing future passwords from being stored on the system. Two patches are available--one for Windows 98, and the other for Windows Me.

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