As part of its monthly patching cycle, Microsoft plans to release two security bulletins with fixes for flaws in Windows. At least one of the alerts is deemed "critical," Microsoft’s highest risk rating, the company said in a notice posted on its Web site on Thursday. Microsoft rates as critical any security threat that could allow a malicious Internet worm to spread without any action required on the part of the user.

Just in time for the holidays, United Online announced that it is auctioning off 10 specially-created NetZero Voice Long Distance for Life accounts on eBay, with all proceeds going to Ronald McDonald House Charities. The ultimate gift for those with the gift of gab, these accounts will provide free NetZero VoIP (Voice-over-Internet Protocol) Internet phone calling to anyone, anytime, anywhere in the world for life. The auction ends on Saturday, December 17th (8:00 AM Pacific). The minimum opening bid price for this unique gift will start at $50.00.

The next pre-release of Internet Explorer 7 won’t arrive until some time after the first of the year, conflicting with earlier statements. One likely explanation is that the software giant is working to integrate it with Windows Vista.

A sophisticated phishing attack has proven so successful, it has tricked eBay’s own fraud investigations team into endorsing it as legitimate, according to an independent security consultant who reported the attack to eBay. In late November, Richi Jennings received a fraudulent e-mail message containing the subject line "Christmas is Coming on ebay.co.uk." Offering him "great tips for successful Christmas selling," the message directed him to the Web site ebaychristmas.net, which then asked Jennings to enter his eBay user name and password, as well as the name and password for his e-mail account. Jennings reported the site to eBay on November 25, and four days later he got a note back from the company’s investigations team claiming that the e-mail message was, in fact, "an official e-mail message sent to you on behalf of e-Bay."

In 2006, Microsoft will ramp up its redesigned certifications program, publishing curricula and offering the first exams for the new SQL Server 2005-based credentials and rolling out new certifications. That’s all in conjunction with its anticipated major product releases for Windows Vista, Exchange 12, and Office 12. The new model offers three levels of certification: Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist, Microsoft Certified IT Professional, and the high-level Microsoft Certified Architect.

The Microsoft Exchange Server ActiveSync Web Administration tool enables administrators to manage the process of remotely erasing lost, stolen, or otherwise compromised mobile devices. The Microsoft Exchange Server ActiveSync Web Administration Tool is designed for use With Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 and compatible mobile devices.

On Friday, Dec. 9, there will be an extra CEO at Microsoft–just for the day. His name is Kiyaan Vazirzadeh. He hails from Simi Valley, Calif. And he’s 10. Vazirzadeh made his wish to spend a day being CEO at Microsoft on the NBC Television reality show "Three Wishes," which follows recording artist Amy Grant on visits to communities all over the U.S., where Grant and her team grant wishes. These wishes range from the simple and light-hearted to the more dramatic and involved, and all feature people who get to witness some of their hopes and dreams made into reality. Asked to name his heroes when he was still in the first grade, Vazirzadeh wrote about Bill Gates.

Those PVC clamshell packs that protect new copies of Microsoft Office Excel, PowerPoint, Word and other products fall short when it comes to protecting the environment and human health. That’s why Microsoft is phasing out the potentially hazardous PVC in favor of more eco-friendly alternatives. Microsoft announced it will complete its phase out of packaging made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride or vinyl) by the end of 2005–a move the company took with the help of partners such as the Center for Health, Environment and Justice.

Microsoft will introduce a beta version of Windows Live Local, an online local search and mapping service that combines unique bird’s-eye imagery with advanced driving directions, Yellow Pages, and other local search tools. Powered by Virtual Earth mapping and location platform, these features give users useful new ways to map and find directions to various locations and better visualize their surroundings from multiple aerial vantage points.

Microsoft announced the general availability of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0, the highly anticipated new release of Microsoft’s customer relationship management solution for small businesses, midsize companies, and large enterprises. Microsoft CRM provides a complete suite of powerful marketing, sales and service capabilities, all with a familiar and consistent user experience based on Microsoft Office and Microsoft Office Outlook. Extensive new configuration, customization and integration capabilities make it easy for customers and partners to deploy highly tailored solutions that drive measurable business results and offer a low total cost of ownership.