You may have heard of that serious (some say critical) flaw in the Internet Domain Name Server system (DNS) over the last week. Microsoft, Cisco Systems and other vendors are scurrying to fix the problem, which could be exploited to redirect Web traffic to malicious sites.

How does the system work? Well, when you wanted to find this site, you entered http://MyPCSecurityBlog.com into your browser. But the Internet works with numbers, called Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

So your computer goes to a large, powerful computer on the Internet called a Domain Name Server, to translate http://MyPCSecurityBlog.com into a string of numbers. Then it uses the numbers to go get the site for you.

If a hacker breaks into these DNS computers, he could associate a different IP address with http://MyPCSecurityBlog.com Then requests for this blog would be redirected elsewhere.

Microsoft also confirmed that there is a Zero Day bug in Word 2002. Zero day means a new flaw, for which no patch is available. Unless issues an emergency patch, we may have to wait until the next regularly scheduled Patch Tuesday on Aug. 12 for a fix.

To quickly and easily check for updates in your programs, go to http://secunia.com/software_inspector/ and click Start Now. Click “Enable thorough system inspection” and click Start. In a few minutes you will get a report on the unpatched software on your PC, as well as instructions on how to fix it.

If you have Word 2002, use it sparingly for the next month. Disconnect from the Internet if possible. Or get the OpenOffice.org suite of programs. It includes a word processor similar to, and compatible with, Word.

Syd Tash is a noted computer security consultant and author of How to Protect Your Computer Online. He has been keeping Internet surfers safe and secure since the last century. Find out how he does it; protect your own computer with five layers of protection right here: = > http://MyPCSecuritySite.com

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