[Jon Anderson]

Also, have you got the latest security patch from microsoft? There was a security exploit that may have been your problem.



"Microsoft Corp. today issued fixes for one "critical" and two "important" flaws in several versions of its Windows software, including Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 under the company's monthly patch-update program. The critical flaw involves an unchecked buffer in Microsoft's Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) Library, which provides a generic way of representing data across different applications, according to Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-007.

The vulnerability could allow hackers to take complete control of a compromised system to install malicious programs, modify or delete data, or create new administrative accounts. It affects a wide range of Windows software, including Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. "Because ASN.1 is a standard for many applications and devices, there are many potential attack vectors," the Microsoft advisory said. Particularly worrisome is the fact that the ASN library is widely used by Windows security subsystems, according to an advisory from eEye Digital Security, which uncovered the vulnerability. That could allow attackers to construct malformed authentication requests that could expose the vulnerability, said Mike Reavey, security program manager at Microsoft's security response center. As a result, he said, "we do strongly encourage our customers to apply this update."

You can update your Operating System by clicking on the Security Bulletin link at the end of the first paragraph. This will take you to Microsoft's security website where you will be able to download the security patch. We recommend you update your Microsoft Operating System as soon as possible."

Original story taken from Computerworld

Update can be found here.