< Continued from page 1
Jan 5, 2006: A day after announcing they would not release a patch outside of the normal 'Patch Tuesday' cycle, Microsoft buckled to consumer sentiment and released a patch to protect against the WMF exploit for XP/2003/2000 users. A patch was not provided for Windows 98 or ME users, though that OS is also vulnerable to the flaw. >> Details on the WMF Patch Release
The Iflak patch previously recommended on this page is no longer avaialable for download from its creator.
Windows XP/2000/2003 users should install the the patch from Microsoft instead. If you had installed the Ilfak patch, you need to remove it before installing the Microsoft patch. When you are ready to remove Ilfak's patch, it will be listed in Windows Add/Remove Programs as "Windows WMF Metafile Vulnerability HotFix".
For those who unregistered shimgvw.dll and wish to reregister it, click Start, click Run, and type:
Note: If you have multiple accounts on the system, you may need to unregister shimgvw.dll for each account. If you choose to leave it unregistered, you may have to reassign file associations for certain image files, otherwise these image files may no longer open. For instructions on changing file associations, see the tutorial on Windows File Associations.
Windows 98 and ME Users
Unfortunately, there is no known workaround for users of Windows 98 and Windows ME. However, there are specific steps you can take to beef up your security (that don't involve buying a Mac). Follow the tips outlined in Staying Safe On a Hostile Internet.
Also see:
Jan 5, 2006: A day after announcing they would not release a patch outside of the normal 'Patch Tuesday' cycle, Microsoft buckled to consumer sentiment and released a patch to protect against the WMF exploit for XP/2003/2000 users. A patch was not provided for Windows 98 or ME users, though that OS is also vulnerable to the flaw. >> Details on the WMF Patch Release
The Iflak patch previously recommended on this page is no longer avaialable for download from its creator.
Windows XP/2000/2003 users should install the the patch from Microsoft instead. If you had installed the Ilfak patch, you need to remove it before installing the Microsoft patch. When you are ready to remove Ilfak's patch, it will be listed in Windows Add/Remove Programs as "Windows WMF Metafile Vulnerability HotFix".
For those who unregistered shimgvw.dll and wish to reregister it, click Start, click Run, and type:
regsvr32 shimgvw.dll Then click OK. You will receive an alert telling you that "DllRegisterServer in shimgvw.dll succeeded". Click OK. (I chose to leave shimgvw.dll unregistered on my systems, even though I also applied Iflak's patch).Note: If you have multiple accounts on the system, you may need to unregister shimgvw.dll for each account. If you choose to leave it unregistered, you may have to reassign file associations for certain image files, otherwise these image files may no longer open. For instructions on changing file associations, see the tutorial on Windows File Associations.
Windows 98 and ME Users
Unfortunately, there is no known workaround for users of Windows 98 and Windows ME. However, there are specific steps you can take to beef up your security (that don't involve buying a Mac). Follow the tips outlined in Staying Safe On a Hostile Internet.
Also see:
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