TECH ROUNDUP: Wed 1 Nov

With the launch of Vista just around the corner, Microsoft is stepping up the protection for its software like a gangster in a turf war.

The Gates empire has launched a new round of legal action against rebel sites selling illegal copies of its software.

The company has filed 55 lawsuits in 11 countries to try and stop the distribution of counterfeit copies of its software on eBay and other auction sites.

Microsoft claims the action is based on findings from its Windows Genuine Advantage program, which tells home users if their software is the real deal.

Most of the actions have been filed in the US, Germany, The Netherlands and the UK, targetting dodgy versions of older software such as Office 97 and Windows 95 right up to beta versions of Vista and Office 2007.

And with Microsoft claiming that 43 per cent of pirate Windows XP discs contain additional code, that cheap knockoff copy could cost you more than you think.

Cynics might say why worry about the extra code added in to Windows by pirates when the stuff Microsoft makes is enough to get you into trouble?

But the latest flaw to be revealed in Windows XP has been downplayed by one security firm.

Alex Eckelberry, president of Sunbelt Software, described the problem as "obscure".

He said that most users don't even use the internet connection sharing component that allows the attack and even if they did, the attacker would have to be on the same local area network.

A security blogger also criticised the fix suggested by nCircle, which found the bug.

George Ou from TechRepublic claimed that disabling Microsoft's internet connection sharing would also disable the Windows Firewall.

Sunbelt's final salvo against those talking up the vulnerability was that the problem was "easily fixable".

However, the explanation that a problem is easy to fix wouldn't cut any ice with some security companies.

Anti-virus firm Sophos has rubbished the efforts of the government's Get Safe Online campaign after another month where old malware topped the charts.

The list of threats for October saw usual suspects Netsky and Mytob in the top two spots.

The new kid on the block was the Stratio virus, which reached the top 10 following a concerted spamming campaign.

As Sophos pointed out, if old-timers like Netsky and Mytob are still getting through lax users' defences when fixes have long been available, what chance do they have against new malware?