WMF Security hole: Microsoft, you did it again!

There is a horrible security hole in every Windows OS (win98, win2000, XP, even windows Vista, the new unfinished version) right now. By loading an apparently innocent image, your computer may be infected with a virus. This warning may look like a virus hoax, but this time is true. It is unbelievably true.

The operating system shows images everywhere: on your email, a website, a pop up from your messenger, the small preview on the left of a folder window. The preview pane of the Outlook Express loads the image too, so you don't have to open the email to activate the virus, you only have to step over that email, and there you are.

The problem was always there, but now it was discovered and it is being exploited by malicious persons all over the world. There is also a tool which allows almost any ignorant fool to create a new image and add a new virus that is unknown to the every antivirus programme and therefore, will spread undetected. The antivirus approach renders ineffective, so there is no solution coming from the many companies who makes money protecting your computer.

There is no solution from Microsoft, either. It will be, they say, on January 10 2006. In computing times, five days is an incredible large amount of time in which hundreds of millions of computers are in danger.

Even when the solution finally arrives from Microsoft labs, the immunization of every computer will take a long period. In the middle of a pandemia that may arise, the virus will continue with the infection process even when there is a solution at hand. Or may be not that handy: you have to connect to the Internet to get the patch, and the Internet is the primary source of contagious.

In the past, it was unthinkable to have a very well known software failure without a solution. This is way this article may look exactly as a virus hoax. Indeed you may say they where prophetic.

A virus hoax spreads by an email you received, telling you there is a virus that harms your computer, and there is no solution yet so you don't have to open an email with the subject "yada-yada". Virus hoax are not inoffensive. They are made to collect email addresses of good willing people whom based on wrong information, are trying to protect their loved ones.

For them, I don't have words right now. I can't tell them that when there is a known virus there is a cure. May be this is a good moment to shout "run for your lives". For those of you still reading, there is an unofficial patch that you have to ask to your system administrator. It is called WMFHotfix. But Microsoft is asking its costumers not to install it, and to be patient for them to release the official hotfix. But people is installing it anyway, and they are trusting Mr. Ilfak Guilfanov, someone totally unknown for the vast majority of the world, until this very precise moment.

It is getting clear for all of us that Microsoft Windows is not a good choice to put our digital lives on. And that people is looking for better alternatives. Some good ones, are free.

Changes in this crazy world are faster, and faster than Netscape guys got so rich, they where broken and lost. Faster than a virus infection, Microsoft has to react or will be beaten by the power of choice.