CCNWO News: Is Microsoft Update Infecting You?
Is Microsoft Update Infecting You?
Tens of millions of Microsoft users get their security updates from the Microsoft Update service. But a researcher at security firm Symantec (Quote) is alleging that users could potentially get something more than they bargained for.
A Symantec researcher said that Microsoft Update, which includes a component called Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), could potentially be used by hackers to bypass security measures and attack users' PCs. BITS runs in the background on a Windows PC as an asynchronous download service for patch updates.
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to internetnews.com that Microsoft is aware of public reports that BITS is being used by TrojanDownloader:Win32/Jowspry to bypass policy-based firewalls in order to install additional malware.
Labels: Computer industry, Microsoft
