# Is there a security breech in Windows? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 16, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746 "2004-09-16T22:58:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/1 "2004-09-16T22:58:16Z")
My aunt keeps calling us, telling us we HAVE to download some kind of patch for Windows, a jpeg patch, or some sort, or we’re going to completely crash. (I’m running Windows XP) I don’t recall seeing anything on Microsoft’s webpage, about a “jpeg” patch. Any information on this? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/2 "2004-09-16T23:14:39Z")
It’s one of the standard updates that you get when you choose TOOL-\>WINDOWS UPDATE from IE and it scans for updates. If you have ‘automatic updates’ turned on likely it’s already installed. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/3 "2004-09-16T23:42:39Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > It’s one of the standard updates that you get when you choose TOOL-\>WINDOWS UPDATE from IE and it scans for updates. > > If you have ‘automatic updates’ turned on likely it’s already installed. No, I did not have it on. Thanks, I’ll just go through updates. My aunt made it sound like a major crisis. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2004, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/4 "2004-09-16T23:47:02Z")
Is the ocean wet? 😃 Some more info about the problem: [http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3407961](http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3407961) [http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,64959,00.html?tw=wn\_tophead\_8](http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,64959,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_8) ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/5 "2004-09-16T23:48:37Z")
[More than you wanted to know about Windows’ newly-revealed jpeg parsing vulnerability, courtesy Slashdot.](http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/09/14/2226226&tid=172&tid=128&tid=201&tid=218) ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/6 "2004-09-16T23:53:27Z")
I remember an e-mail hoax about malicious code hidden in image files from around eight or nine years ago. You know, silly-ha-ha to fun with the rubes, like the “Internet Cleaning Day” hoax. “You can’t sneak executable code into a picture, that’s just ridiculous.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/7 "2004-09-17T00:06:48Z")
**Guinastasia:** Nit note: You knew that [this](http://merriamwebster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=dictionary&va=breech...) is what breech means,right? It was just your way of adding humor to your thread title,right? I’m so very sorry.I hope this hasn’t changed our non-existent relationship. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/8 "2004-09-17T00:11:19Z")
Ah, I see. Okay, the second one, listed here: [http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-027.mspx](http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-027.mspx) How do I figure out what version I use? I only had a trial version of Office, and I’m hopelessly confused. (I hate this crap) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/9 "2004-09-17T00:15:08Z")
> [@ageless6](#): > > **Guinastasia:** > > Nit note: > > You knew that [this](http://merriamwebster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=dictionary&va=breech...) is what breech means,right? It was just your way of adding humor to your thread title,right? > > I’m so very sorry.I hope this hasn’t changed our non-existent relationship. :smack: Aw, it’s just not my day, is it? :o ---
**Author:** ![ninetypercent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@ninetypercent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninetypercent)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/10 "2004-09-17T00:21:59Z")
Can you be more specific? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/11 "2004-09-17T01:30:06Z")
Meaning, the second link I posted, I’m not sure which patch to download. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/12 "2004-09-17T02:23:06Z")
If you’re not running Office currently on your machine, then you don’t need any of those. If you _are_ running Office, then pick one which matches your version of office. If you’ve got “Automatic Updates” turned on, your system will download and install the correct one without you having to think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/13 "2004-09-17T02:24:17Z")
Oh, and there’s been no reports of anyone getting hit with a virus hidden in a jpeg, as of yet, so there’s no need to panic. It’ll be at least a week before any show up, now that M$ has announced it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-security-breech-in-windows/264746/14 "2004-09-17T02:30:58Z")
Ah, thanks. We had a trial of Office, but it’s expired, and quite frankly, I prefer Word Pad.