Microsoft has recently announced five new vulnerabilities in Windows operating systems such as Windows NT 4.0, 2000, and XP, as well as Microsoft Exchange 5.5 and 2000. These vulnerabilities could enable unauthorized persons to completely take over your system. The best course of action is to download the appropriate cumulative patch ("megapatch") from the Lab's download site and look under Security/Service Packs.

Assuming your system is running the latest Service Pack (SP), go to the appropriate link and click on it. For example, if your system is a Windows NT workstation running SP6a (the latest SP for NT), click on "Windows NT 4.0 post SP6a Hot Fixes for Workstations." If your system runs Windows 2000 with SP4 (the latest for Windows 2000), click on "Windows 2000 Post SP4 Hotfixes." If you have an XP system with SP1 (the latest for XP), click on "Windows XP Pro post SP1 Hot Fixes." (To discover what SP your system has, go to the Run menu and enter winver.)

Read more about these vulnerabilities. For help in installing these hot fixes or SPs, contact the Help Desk at 486-4357 or help@lbl.gov.