Windows update hardly a PC cure-all
Microsoft's patch includes virus protection that requires special hardware, and firewall controls only incoming information
An update to Microsoft Windows designed to fend off hackers, viruses and other security threats is long overdue but far from a panacea, security experts said. With viruses and spyware running rampant, Microsoft - widely criticized for lax security - has released SP2, or service pack 2. It prevents pop-ups, enhances security, automatically turns on a firewall to prevent intrusion, allows users to more easily monitor their computer's security features and improves support for wireless connections. "The enhancements they made are long overdue," said Chris McCain, director of Microsoft training at Intense School, an information technology company in Fort Lauderdale. Experts recommend installing the update, but they say it has some drawbacks. One key feature cannot even be used by most PC owners. An enhancement designed to block viruses requires special hardware that is available only on a small percentage of PCs. And Microsoft's firewall - a digital roadside checkpoint that controls the flow of information - provides only half the protection it should, experts said. The Microsoft firewall controls only information coming into the computer from the Internet, not outgoing data. So consumers with high-speed Internet connections should use a commercial personal firewall and turn off Microsoft's firewall, experts said. Businesses should conduct longer-than-usual testing because the release includes so many changes, experts said. IBM, as usual, will test and install a customized version. "You can't just slap a patch onto 320,000 people," said a person familiar with IBM's software installations. The update, released Friday, is 256 megabytes, which would take more than 10 hours to download on a dial-up connection. However, only necessary parts will be downloaded to each PC, typically 80 megabytes for home users, a Microsoft spokesman said. The download is available at www.microsoft.com/protect. Consumers will soon be able to order the CD for free, with no shipping and handling fee, on the Microsoft site or obtain free copies in retail stores, a Microsoft spokesman said. The feature to prevent viruses such as SQL Slammer and Code Red will work on AMD Athlon 64 chips. Intel will release compatible chips by the end of the year, a spokeswoman said. To get the latest anti-virus protection available with the Windows update, anyone considering new PC purchases should buy a PC with one of the high-end AMD processors or postpone the purchase until PCs that can accommodate the new anti-virus feature become more widely available later this year, said David Berlind, an executive editor at ZDNet, a technology Web site. Only acronym-savvy consumers will be able to hunt down PCs with the feature. Microsoft calls the enhancement "data execution prevention" (DEP), AMD calls it "enhanced virus protection" (EVP), and Intel calls it "execute disable" (XD).
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