The JPEG of Death
Computer hackers have taken some pornographic JPEGs and augmented them with an exploit that uses the JPEG vulnerability that Microsoft recently announced, as reported by Computerworld. The exploit isn’t a virus, but instead turns the compromised computer into a bulk-mail spam machine, proof once again that the hackers and the spammers have teamed up.
What’s really neat about this exploit is that many people had long expected that the JPEG decompress routines, because of their complexity, almost certainly had to have some kind of buffer overflow in them. But it took literally years for someone to find it…
I went to Windows Update yesterday with a Windows 98 machine — a machine that Microsoft officially doesn’t support anymore. Nevertheless, Microsoft was more than happy to download the JPEG fix to me. Clearly, they are taking this one very seriously.
Once again, this is proof that every Windows machine being used to browse the Internet shoud have automatic updates on by default.
Deep Dive
Uncategorized
Our best illustrations of 2022
Our artists’ thought-provoking, playful creations bring our stories to life, often saying more with an image than words ever could.
How CRISPR is making farmed animals bigger, stronger, and healthier
These gene-edited fish, pigs, and other animals could soon be on the menu.
The Download: the Saudi sci-fi megacity, and sleeping babies’ brains
10 Breakthrough Technologies 2023
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.