AskWoody.com

How well does IE’s phishing filter work?

This will undoubtedly change shortly, but…

In the past hour I’ve received several messages from people here in Thailand saying that they’re receiving phishing mail from their bank, SCB. The mail instructs people to click  on a link and log in. The link goes to the site new11010scb dot com (no, I’m not going to link to it).

If you go to that location with either Firefox or Chrome, you get the standard phishing warning message. But if you go there with either IE 9 or IE 10 (on Windows 8), you sail right on through to an ad…

#Fail IE Smart Screen.

New SkyDrive Rivals Dropbox and Mimics Megaupload

Details are coming about privacy and security, but this really does look like an interesting service. And using it’s a treat – very well put together.

InfoWorld Tech Watch.

Claim your 25 GB of SkyDrive real estate

Microsoft is lowering the free amount of space they’re giving away on SkyDrive. Starting yesterday, new customers get 7 GB of free online storage.

If you already have a SkyDrive account, Microsoft will let you lock in 25 GB of free storage. Permanently.

If you know you have a SkyDrive account, it’d be worthwhile to head over to the upgrade FAQ. If you have a Hotmail ID or Windows Live ID (now known as a “Microsoft account”), it’s worth the click to check SkyDrive.

Flashback returns

Is Apple dropping the ball? Look at the timeline.

InfoWorld Tech Watch.

Windows Defender Offline brings systems back from the dead

Microsoft just released it from beta.

InfoWorld Tech Watch.

The three (four, five, six) versions of Windows 8

The spin is that Microsoft is cutting back on the number of versions of Windows.

The reality isn’t quite so clear. InfoWorld Tech Watch.

Problems printing TurboTax return if you applied latest Windows patches

I’m getting peppered from many directions about the bug in MS 12-025 / KB 2653638, the .NET security bulletin that Microsoft just released.

If you didn’t take my advice, and you installed that patch, you won’t be able to print your TurboTax return.

As the TurboTax people say, “You are unable to print returns or tax forms in TurboTax for Windows Basic, Deluxe, Premier, Home & Business, and Business after installing the latest Windows update.  You may briefly see a Generating Document message but the paperwork never prints.”

This from Microsoft (thanks, SB!): “It seems the .Net Framework team has what they need and are tracking down the problem. It’s unclear how widespread this issue may be. So as a precaution, the .Net updates have been down-throttled (they will not be checked or install by default on consumer PCs). “

In other words, the cow’s outta the barn…

Taxes aren’t due until April 17, so I guess that gives you some breathing room.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but you should NEVER automatically install Windows patches. (Except for spam filter updates and MSE definition file updates.) Never. That’s why I created this site years ago.

I’m moving us up to MS-DEFCON 1: Current Microsoft patches are causing havoc. Don’t patch.

P.S. I haven’t seen any official acknowledgment from Microsoft on their usual pages, including KB 2671605, which is supposed to document any known issues. The patch has been out for five days, guys….

I’m reminded of the botched .NET patch that was pushed on Income Tax Weekend four years ago. It broke Quicken, which made it impossible for many people to get their taxes done.

UPDATE: Thanks to reader Mike (in the comments) who notes that MS has finally updated the KB article that’s supposed to include a list of known problems. “We are currently aware of an issue with printing from a Windows Forms application. After the installation of these security updates, certain Windows Forms applications may not print, or may not honor specified printer settings when they do print. There is no impact on systems that do not use printing functionality from a .NET Framework Windows Forms application. The investigation into this issue is ongoing.” Funny, they don’t mention TurboTax.

MORE UPDATES: TurboTax has a fix. Still nothing from Microsoft. Thanks for all of your comments here. I’m continuing the discussion over on the InfoWorld Tech Watch blog. Join us! I think you’ll find the first comment (at the bottom) amusing. At least, I did….

Intel’s Windows 8 tablet specs omit some important details

Looks like Intel’s trying to chase the iPad monkey by aping it.

InfoWorld Tech Watch.