Microsoft SSL patch slows systems down

The latest patch issued by Microsoft is causing some Windows 2000 machines to grind to a halt. Vole’s security update, MS04-011 apparently causes some machines to stop responding after start up as they frantically tries to download a set of drivers and can't. The patch was issued on April 13 and covers up a nasty hole in the Windows implementation of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). This particular glitch is at the heart of what is fast becoming a major concern to virus experts who fear it could be an easy way to bring down a lot of servers. Microsoft admits that an attacker who could exploit the flaw could take complete control of affected systems, installing programs, viewing, modifying or deleting data or changing user access to the system.

For this reason, the Vole has encouraged customers to apply the patch as soon as possible and in most cases it seems to work all right.

Read Full Story