Symantec on Monday offered public beta versions of Norton Internet Security 2007 and Norton AntiVirus 2007 for Microsoft's imminent Windows Vista.

Efforts to eliminate piracy have been with computers since it became possible to make a copy of a program and run it on another computer successfully. Anti-piracy software, code wheels, license keys, hardware dongles and more all failed in some way, either through the use of a master key code, a crack that changed trial software into the full version, eliminated the check for dongles, or somehow picked the lock of anti-protections.

IT security vendor, Sophos, has presented a new version of Sophos Anti-Virus which supports the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system, including the much debated Patchguard kernel locker.

Malicious code that exploits a "critical" Windows 2000 vulnerability has been released on the Internet, rising the probability of attacks, experts advised on Thursday.

The code makes use of a security vulnerability in a key operating system module that routes file system and print requests called the "Workstation Service." On Windows 2000 systems, the defect could be exploited via the Net by an unidentified aggressor without any user interaction, increasing the likelihood of the arrival of a Zotob-like worm.

Hackers have released code that could let an aggressor render Windows Firewall inoperative on some Windows XP machines.

The code, which was uploaded on the Internet early Sunday morning, could be used to disable Windows Firewall on a fully patched Windows XP PC running Windows' Internet Connection Service (ICS). This service allows Windows users to basically turn theirs PCs into routers and share their Internet connections with other systems on a LAN. It is usually used by home and small-business users.

Zombies continue to be the major danger to Windows security, Microsoft said Monday. During the six months from January to June 2006, over 43,000 new variants of so-called "backdoor Trojans" were revealed.

Antitrust related changes to security in Windows Vista 64-bit will take years to finalize and will cause compatibility problems in the mean time, according to Gartner.

Users of security technologies such as host intrusion-prevention systems, or HIPS, should postpone buying 64-bit versions of Vista, Gartner analyst Neil MacDonald wrote in a research note published on Wednesday. MacDonald also noted that many integrated security products today include HIPS functionality.

McAfee provides coverage for the new 25 Microsoft Windows security vulnerabilities disclosed by Microsoft. These vulnerabilities have been reviewed by McAfee Avert Labs, and based on their findings, McAfee recommends that users confirm the Microsoft product versioning outlined in the bulletins and update as recommended by Microsoft and McAfee. This includes deploying solutions to ensure protection against the vulnerabilities outlined in this advisory.

Microsoft on Monday released a new beta for its Windows Live OneCare security service, marking the first time that the anti-virus software runs on Windows Vista.

Windows Live OneCare Beta 1.5, which can be downloaded and used free of charge, is available in 17 localised editions for countries that include the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK Earlier editions were for US customers only.

A senior Microsoft executive has promised that its new operating system will be more secure than ever.

Jean-Philippe Courtois, president of Microsoft International, said that beefing-up security was one reason behind delays to Windows Vista.

Microsoft has been criticised for flaws in previous systems that left users vulnerable to attacks by hackers.