6.5 Securing
Windows Media Player
Even Windows Media Player (as of
this writing, specifically Windows Media Player
version 6.4, 7.1 or Windows Media Player for
Windows XP (version 8) isn’t
safe, as you might have noticed when Microsoft
released a security bulletin. Apparently, there
is a hole that lets an attacker get access to
your computer.
If you haven’t heard of this yet
and you are using the above mentioned versions,
you should download the patch as soon as
possible.
You probably have the vulnerable
versions of Media Player on your system if you
are have Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, or XP. You
may even have more than one version of Media
Player.
You can check to see if Media
Player 6.4 is on your system by performing the
following steps.
·
Click START,
then go to RUN in the Start Menu.
·
Type in
"mplayer2.exe" (no quotes) and press ENTER.
·
If you have
Windows Media Player 6.4, it will appear.
·
If you don't
have it, the system will tell you it can't find
the file.
·
After the
Media Player window appears, Click HELP ->
ABOUT to
display the version number. It should say Media
Player 6.4.xxx.
Windows uses
by default the latest version of Media Player
that is installed on your system, even if
version 6.4 is present.
Check your
default installation of Media Player by
You can check
your "default" installation of Media Player by
performing the following steps:
o
START
o
PROGRAMS
o
ACCESSORIES
o
ENTERTAINMENT
o
WINDOWS MEDIA
PLAYER.
o
HELP -> ABOUT
and look at the version number
Now that you
know about the problem, it’s easiest just to
download all the patches Microsoft offers.
Do the
earlier versions first so that you are ending
with the XP patch. You can’t overdo it because
each patch only repairs its counterpart.
It’s always
better to keep your system up to date and
install all the patches suggested by Windows.
That might mean checking in every so often even
if you get the critical updates automatically.
<< Chapter
6.4 - Secure Internet Explorer
|
Chapter
6.6 - Preventing Future Infections
>> |
