Full Disclosure mailing list archives
RE: SQL Server patch - why doesn't Windows upda te help?
From: David Vincent <david.vincent () mightyoaks com>
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2003 09:14:10 -0800
...because it's "Windows" update. not "SQL" update. that's why there's also "Office" update and the "Platform SDK" update. http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/platformsdk/sdkupdate/ http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates/ i'm sure we'd all love it if there were an "SQL" update site. but as anyone with experience knows Windows Update DOESN'T WORK. sure, it'll identify patches and install 'em. but it really has a hard time getting your machine actually up to date. it doesn't look at sql, exchange, or mdac afaik. it does look at the core components home users would be interested in like internet exploder and the media plunderer. for quite a while it didn't have the patch for MS02-050 (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-050.asp) and even now HFNETCHK says my MS02-055 isn't installed properly, though WindowsUpdate misses it and so does QCHAIN. this is why ms offers their Corporate Windows Update now called the Windows Update Catalog. http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/catalog/en/default.asp they know their shite website is really only there to give home users a warm feeling when it scans their system and says "there are no updates available at this time" (and i can't count the times i've gone to a home to "fix" a computer issue only to find the pc has been running for three years with no updates and no firewall while connected to adsl or cable. and they act so surprised then i show them the windows update icon on the top of their start menu - dumbasses! anyways, back to the topic....). in the industry, we all know you must test patches not only for issues they may introduce to the system (instability, functionality changes, etc.) but also for how they install if they even do that correctly. you can't 100% trust any vendor to do it right, there are always unique issues for your workplace which they could not have anticipated. -d -----Original Message----- From: Darren Reed [mailto:avalon () coombs anu edu au] Sent: January 30, 2003 7:30 AM To: full-disclosure () lists netsys com Subject: [Full-disclosure] SQL Server patch - why doesn't Windows update help? I was just thinking to myself, hmmm, I have SQL Server something* installed on one of my Win2K boxes (service is turned off), I wonder if I have this patched as I do regular checkups with "Windows Update"... Well, either I haven't or I have and the "Windows Update" web site is lieing and "Add/Remove Programs" is in league with it. Strange. I do a scan with "Windows Update" and it still doesn't pick it up. It doesn't show up under "Office Update" either. What gives ? I ask myself have I been deceived into thinking that this "Windows Update" was not doing as I expected and is in fact doing far less ? I wonder how many other people do regular updates, using "Windows Update" and expect it to catch all of the patches required for their system(s) and don't give it much further thought ? The catch I now find myself in is if "Windows Update" doesn't know it should have installed the hotfix for SQL Server, how the hell am I (or anyone else for that matter) meant to now work out what has and hasn't been applied that is relevant ? How much trust can I now put in the "Windows Update" service to deliver me the correct patches that my system needs ? I wonder if I would have been one of the unsuspecting masses that got infiltrated if I had of been trusting "Windows Update" to keep my 'net exposed SQL servers up to date ?! Maybe this is a "known bug" or "caveat" with "Windows Update" but if it is, it'd sure be nice if it behaved as expected - read the "About Windows Update" sometime. I don't think I've got unreasonable expectations, based on how they advertise the service, that this should have been patched for me, already! I wonder if you'd have a case for suing Microsoft for damages if you got hit and used their update service on a regular basis, with it failing to install the patch, leading to you being crompromised for (if nothing else) false advertising of the "Windows Update" service capabilities... Darren * - it is one of the versions advertised as being vulnerable and no, there are no copyright problems with the installed products. p.s. This is the kind of email that now gets censored from bugtraq, I just hope it's appropriate for full-disclosure... _______________________________________________ Full-Disclosure - We believe in it. Charter: http://lists.netsys.com/full-disclosure-charter.html _______________________________________________ Full-Disclosure - We believe in it. Charter: http://lists.netsys.com/full-disclosure-charter.html
Current thread:
- RE: SQL Server patch - why doesn't Windows upda te help? David Vincent (Jan 30)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- RE: SQL Server patch - why doesn't Windows upda te help? John . Airey (Jan 31)
- [Full-Disclosure] RE: [tFull-disclosure] SQL Server patch - why doesn't Windows update help? Nicob (Jan 31)
- Re: [Full-Disclosure] RE: [tFull-disclosure] SQL Server patch - why doesn't Windows update help? Paul Schmehl (Jan 31)
- Message not available
- Re: [Full-Disclosure] RE: [tFull-disclosure] SQL Server patch - why doesn't Windows update help? Paul Schmehl (Jan 31)
- [Full-Disclosure] RE: [tFull-disclosure] SQL Server patch - why doesn't Windows update help? Nicob (Jan 31)
- Re: [Full-Disclosure] RE: [tFull-disclosure] SQL Server patch - why doesn't Windows update help? KF (Jan 31)
- Re: [Full-Disclosure] RE: [tFull-disclosure] SQL Server patch - why doesn't Windows update help? Sven Hoexter (Jan 31)