| After a year or more of preparation, home users can now get
their hands on the Service Pack (SP2) security update for
Windows XP. Here theopenworld.com answers some of the most
common questions about the package.
What is Service Pack 2 (SP2)?
The full name is Service Pack 2 and it is a software package
that makes lots of changes to Microsoft's Windows XP operating
system. Since Windows XP was launched in October 2001, the
software has proved to be something of a virus writer and
hacker's playground. SP2 is a bid by Microsoft to remove many of
the bugs that make XP so vulnerable to attack. The Service Pack
was first promised in 2003 but has taken a year of testing to
get ready.
SP2 is one of the most visible parts of Microsoft's
Trustworthy Computing initiative. This aims to make Windows
harder for hackers and virus writers to exploit. Ironically
since Microsoft announced this initiative its software has
suffered some of the biggest virus outbreaks and hack attacks
ever seen.
What does SP2 do?
The update makes lots of changes to Windows XP. Some are
visible, others not. One of the most obvious changes is the
creation of a "Security Centre" that lets people manage
firewall, anti-virus and updates for XP in one place.
It also lets users know the risks they are taking if they do
not have the firewall turned on, do not update their anti-virus
software or install future updates for XP.
Anyone that connects an unprotected PC to the net via a
high-speed link is taking a huge risk. Studies have shown that
unprotected PCs are typically found and attacked within 20
minutes of being put online.
The update also blocks pop-up ads and makes it much harder
for spyware to download on to your computer. Users will also get
warnings about potentially malicious attachments on e-mail
messages or programs that attempt to install themselves without
permission.
Out of sight SP2 also makes changes to the way Windows XP
handles data to make it much less vulnerable to viruses that,
for instance, exploit its willingness to run programs attached
to e-mail messages.
Where can I get SP2?
Only from Microsoft. The software, which for consumers weighs
in at about 80MB, can be downloaded via its auto-update service,
ordered on a CD or found on cover CDs that come with some
consumer technology magazines.
Efforts to help Microsoft reach people with SP2 by putting the
update on file-sharing networks were squashed by the software
giant.
Business users were the first to get hold of the update and the
consumer version is being released this week. Users of the
Professional version will have to wait until late August to get
a version tailored for them.
How will it affect my computer?
It should protect you from some, not all, attacks on Windows
by virus writers and malicious hackers. However, if you install
it on a PC without making sure it is free of spyware, viruses
and the like then you might be no more secure.
Also many of the most successful viruses play only on the
gullibility of e-mail users rather than exploit bugs. The SP2
update will stop some, but probably not all, of the malicious
attachments on e-mail messages that help viruses spread.
A German magazine has found that the update still leaves
inventive hackers a route to infect Windows and it is probably
only a matter of time before these loopholes are exploited.
Installing the patch might make some of the programs you have
got used to using on your PC stop working properly. Microsoft
has produced a list of programs that suffer, to a greater or
lesser extent, when SP2 is installed. Surprisingly many of the
programs affected are Microsoft programs.
Microsoft does give advice about how to get these programs
working again but the advice could prove too tricky for many
users.
So should I install SP2?
Probably. Windows is a hugely tempting target for virus
writers, malicious hackers, clever criminals and many others.
With SP2 you can probably avoid falling victim to many of the
most obvious viruses, attacks and scams.
However, you should not think that once you have installed
SP2 that you are immune from future attack. If you have not
cleaned up your machine before installing it and your machine
has been compromised you may be no more secure than before.
As well as installing SP2 you need to keep your anti-virus
software up to date and ensure you have other critical updates
to Windows. Use anti-spyware programs to regularly clean up your
PC. You should also be suspicious about e-mails from friends or
acquaintances that you were not expecting and that have
attachments.
You should also find out if you use any of the programs that
SP2 conflicts with and see if you have the skill to carry out
the steps necessary to get that program working again.
To install Windows XP Service Pack 2:
Click here |
