Microsoft has come out with a security announcement for those on Windows XP.

While most of us barely use the “F” keys at the top of the keyboard, they do certain things. For instance, the F1 key typically allows you to bring up the Help menu for the application you’re in.

This week, Microsoft stated that XP and Server 2003 users should stay away from the F1 key due to a vulnerability found that can cause security problems for your system. Microsoft is working on a patch for the Bug, but no notice on when it’ll be released. For now, keep away from the F1 key!

On a lighter note, other neat buttons are:

• F3: Shortcut for CTRL-F, otherwise known as “Find”.
• F4: The address bar. If you know what web address you’re going to type, why use the mouse?
• F5: Refreshes your screen, great for working on websites or refreshing that PowerBall page while waiting for the numbers to change.
• The magical F11 key. This key, in Internet Explorer or Firefox, makes the webpage go full screen. This is neat, but it can confuse people since the start bar goes away – so be careful when you test it (F11 again to get out of full screen mode).

So, again, stay away from the F1 key in Internet Explorer while using Windows XP, and make sure to install the updates when your computer wants.
Justin

If you haven’t done so, this is a second reminder that Microsoft released an “out of band” update for Internet Explorer. Yesterday, it appeared that it was for Internet Explorer 6 only, but it turned into an update for Internet Explorer 6 through 8 by yesterday evening.

If you are receiving a notification to update Windows this morning, do so to plug a nasty little security hole.

Out of band updates are done when security holes are so “large”, but Microsoft feels that an update needs to be release ASAP, instead of their normal Tuesday release cycle.

Microsoft is releasing an out of band update today to patch security holes in Internet Explorer. After the recent Google China incident, Microsoft discovered that sneaky code inside office documents could attack IE and cause problems.

This out of band update should be released around 10am PST “or as close to it as possible”, according to Microsoft.

While home users should get update alerts tomorrow morning, businesses will want to patch their systems as soon as possible, after testing the update, of course.
Justin