Activesync 3.7.1 released – again

I wondered why I had seen a post on Microsofts site for a new upload for Activesync, version 3.7.1 but when I checked my current version I saw this was the version I already had! The Pocket PC Thoughts descibes the bug fixes in this particulare version of ActiveSync 3.7.1, which includes a problem that I get – explorer shows an empty directory when you browse the Axim.
Why they didn’t release it as 3.7.2 or 3.7.1a but it would have been handy.

IM at work

A Microsoft guy writes a good article on why they are encouraging users to Instant Messaging at Work instead of email. I guess they have to use it at MS as they wrote a corporate version to go with exchange (and to reduce the load on their servers) but it still makes good reading. We use it internally too as its great for contacting the home workers when you want to find out the answer to a quick question or even if they are at their computer.

Virus update.

Apparently, according to Symantec, the virus we discovered on the network yesterday is W32.Randex.gen which is a name given to a family of virus’s – which has been around since December 2003, so why on earth did Symantec not pick it up? VERY scary.Update The AV Update that we downloaded at about 10pm last night detected this file and deleted it but I’m still unsure as to why its been available since December. I was going to try doing a heuristic scan on it to see if the av would pick it up but can’t as the new defs have got to the file. I think if I get asked to renew Symantec AV next year I may well be testing different software as this is the third virus get past the detection routines in as many weeks – and we are paying a lot of money for this so called protection.

msclock.exe virus

Just a heads up that there’s likely to be a new virus as msclock.exe in the windows\system32 directory that gets added to hklm\software\microsoft\windows\run and runservice It seems to replicate using common shared folders with weak passwords. msclock.exe looks like internet explorer if you look at the icons and has a description of internet explorer. Not much else is known at the moment. Nav with avdefs of today do not pick it up, neither does panda a/v software.
With msclock.exe running you will not be able to launch regedit or taskmgr. rename these files and then run them…..more details to follow….argh i hate consulting sometimes.