The threat level in the airline sector is High or Orange. Read more
National Cyber Alert System
Cyber Security Alert SA04-243A
Security Improvements in Windows XP Service Pack 2
Original release date: August 30, 2004
Last revised: January 10, 2005
Source: US-CERT
Systems Affected
Microsoft Windows XP
Overview
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) significantly improves your computer's defenses against attacks and vulnerabilities.
Recommendation
To help protect your Windows XP computer from attacks and vulnerabilities, install Service Pack 2 using Windows Update or Automatic Updates.
Note: Service Pack 2 makes significant changes to improve the security of Windows XP, and these changes may have negative effects on some programs and Windows functionality. Before you install Service Pack 2, back up your important data and consult your computer manufacturer's web site for information about Service Pack 2.
Description
Windows XP Service Pack 2 is a major operating system update that contains a number of new security updates and features. Like other Microsoft Service Packs, Windows XP Service Pack 2 also includes previously released security fixes and other operating system updates. Following is a summary of the new security updates and features in Service Pack 2:
Windows Firewall
Windows Firewall is enabled in almost all configurations, blocking network traffic coming into your computer. Blocking this traffic helps to protect you from worms and other malicious code that spread via the Internet.
Email Handling Technologies
Outlook Express now supports the ability to read and compose messages in plain text and to block external HTML content such as "web bugs." Security checks are now performed in a more consistent way to help prevent the execution of malicious attachments.
Security Center
The Security Center "...provides a central location for changing security settings, learning more about security, and ensuring that [your] computer is up to date, with the essential security settings that are recommended by Microsoft."
Automatic Updates
The update services and automatic update feature of Windows XP have been improved. US-CERT highly recommends that you enable Automatic Updates.
Data Execution Prevention
Memory protection helps prevent attackers from executing code on your computer.
Programs that are known to experience a loss of functionality when they run on a Windows XP Service Pack 2-based computer - <http://support.microsoft.com/?id=884130>
Authors: Art Manion and Mindi McDowell. Feedback can be directed to the US-CERT Technical Staff.
Copyright 2004 Carnegie Mellon University.
Terms of use
Revision History
August 30, 2004: Initial release
January 10, 2005: Updated IE links