Educause Security Discussion mailing list archives
Re: Response to WinXP SP2
From: Tracy Mitrano <tbm3 () CORNELL EDU>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 11:26:53 -0400
Great, here's ours, attached, and Ariel, loved your article in EDUCAUSE Quarterly -- excellent! Tracy At 10:10 AM 8/27/2004 -0400, Ariel Silverstone wrote:
Colleagues, I have included below Temple's email to all Staff and Faculty regarding SP2. The message is quite lengthy, but I hope it may help some see how others handle it. We debated it for over a month, and yesterday, thanks to Randy P's call with MS, we decided to proceed. I would love to hear comments (in private). Thank you, Ariel Silverstone, CISSP Chief Information Security Officer Temple University The message: A message from Ariel Silverstone, Chief Information Security Officer: As I communicated to you in my message last week, Microsoft is now releasing a major, comprehensive update to its Windows XP operating system. If your computer is not running Windows XP, you can safely ignore the rest of this message. The update, called Service Pack 2 (SP2), is designed to patch and repair numerous gaps in Windows XP. It includes safeguards against viruses and spyware, and also includes a hardened Internet firewall to keep out hackers. After weeks of testing by Computer Services, we have found that in most cases people have not experienced any difficulties; however, in some cases, some operational issues were noted. Consequently, there is no ideal solution at this time. If you do not install SP2, you will not be as protected as Microsoft recommends; on the other hand, if you install SP2, some operational issues may develop. For example, one of the consistent issues we have discovered in our testing is that the default setting of SP2 configures the Windows XP firewall in such a way that new virus definitions coming from our antivirus servers are blocked, and cannot get to your computer. This will leave your computer vulnerable to virus attacks in the future. To respond to this consequence, Symantec requires that you configure the Windows XP firewall to allow access from your computer to Symantec's antivirus update servers. With this in mind, here are our recommendations for Windows XP users connected to the Temple Network. These recommendations do NOT apply to home users, as the Symantec antivirus home version is not affected by this issue: 1. Before you do anything else, consider backing up your important files as a precaution. 2. You must configure your firewall to allow communications with Symantec's antivirus servers. This should be done as soon as possible. You can configure your firewall manually, but the steps involved are many and complex. To facilitate this, Computer Services has developed an easy-to-use, one-step utility that will properly configure your computer. If you are using any version of Windows XP, you should run this utility now in order to keep your antivirus definitions current. For instructions on downloading and running this utility, go to: http://xxx.edu 3. Depending on your computer's current configuration, there are two possible scenarios: a) If your computer is configured to receive and install Windows updates automatically, SP2 will be installed on your computer without any further action from you. You should let this update install automatically. Because the update file is very large, Microsoft will randomly select which computers are to receive the download. Your computer will receive SP2 at some point over the next few months, but it could occur as early as today. b) If your computer notifies you of available updates, but does not install them automatically, or your computer is not configured to receive Windows updates automatically, we recommend that you do not install SP2 at this time. Please wait for a few weeks for Computer Services to forward directions on how and when to install this update. Not only is SP2 a major change to your operating system, Microsoft has scheduled it at our busiest time of the year. Except for those users who already have automatic windows update, waiting for a few weeks before attempting to install SP2 will enable Computer Services to assist you in a more timely and efficient manner should you encounter any difficulties. If you have questions, at any time, please contact the Help Desk during business hours at 215-xxx-yyyy or send e-mail to xyz () temple edu. ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Discussion Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/cg/.
********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Discussion Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/cg/.
Attachment:
DMCA.students.2004.doc
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Current thread:
- Response to WinXP SP2 Ariel Silverstone (Aug 27)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: Response to WinXP SP2 Tracy Mitrano (Aug 27)