• The AutoRun patch, KB 967715, is a mess

    Last week, I warned you about installing the KB 967715 patch – the one that’s supposed to fix the AutoRun/AutoPlay stupidities that have allowed the Conficker worm to multiply. (Remember, this is the worm that has drawn a $250,000 bounty from Microsoft – and the folks at MS can’t even plug one of its simplest infection vectors.)

    This week, Susan Bradley has analyzed the patch, and it’s a complete mess. She has posted instructions for fixing the AutoRun/AutoPlay debacle – manual instructions which you should follow after installing the KB 967715 patch, if you should be motivated to install the patch.

    For now, I continue to recommend that you avoid the KB 967715 patch like the plague it is. Remember to hold down the Shift key when you stick a USB drive (or SD card) in your computer, and you’ll be safe. That isn’t a good permanent solution, but as a temporary stopgap, it works.