Microsoft previewed three critical bulletins for Microsoft Office and Windows and a moderate denial of service vulnerability for the company’s security software.

Some of the biggest names in the IT software business still are very lax when it comes to fixing security holes reported by third-party brokers.

According to a list maintained by TippingPoint’s Zero Day Initiative, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, Computer Associates and Hewlett-Packard are among the vendors most tardy about shipping fixes for known flaws that could be used in code execution attacks.

Microsoft, for example, has nine "high risk" vulnerabilities on the list. Three of the nine Microsoft product flaws were reported more than 404 days ago.

Microsoft has warned users updating to Windows XP SP3 that they won’t be able to downgrade from Internet Explorer 7 to the older IE6 without uninstalling the service pack. The warning first appeared in a post Monday to a company blog written by the IE development team. Microsoft released Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update as an optional download Tuesday.

With business decisions resting on accurate, up-to-date information, organizations are recognizing the need for a comprehensive messaging and collaboration solution that keeps everyone in sync–an application that enables team members to effectively share information and quickly respond to others. That’s why businesses of all sizes are evaluating full-featured, enterprise-class solutions like Microsoft Exchange 2007 and SharePoint to meet their business goals.

TechRepublic’s Webcast, featuring Steve O’Brien, Sr. Director of Service Development at USA.NET, and host James Hilliard, Moderator for TechRepublic, who explore how companies can gain these advantages with no capital outlay for infrastructure resources.

These have not been good weeks in our cause to repair the systemic problems with White House email. This week, we have a judge who’s directing the White House to look in many of the wrong places. We have a White House CIO who claims that asset management is a new invention, so it’s tough to keep track of those pesky hard drives. We also have a White House who can’t account for any email messages at all during the months of the initial Iraq invasion. And we have a Congress who’s decided we don’t need any real form of record management for another four years. Sadly, officials in Washington are not making the situation any better. In fact, it’s getting worse.

Read this OutlookPower article.

Yahoo has silently pushed out a patch for a critical vulnerability affecting users of its Yahoo Assistant browser add-on. According to an alert from a researcher at Nevis Labs, the vulnerability "allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations."

Yahoo Assistant is marketed to Chinese users as a security product featuring tools to repair Internet Explorer settings, provide antivirus protection and block pop-up advertising.

Microsoft withdrew its offer for Yahoo on Saturday as negotiations fell through on price, even after the software giant raised its bid by about $5 billion to $47.5 billion.

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said his company increased its offer to $33 per share, from the $31 per share cash-and-stock bid that it initially made on January 31. But Yahoo was looking for $37 a share, Ballmer said.

Monday was a rough day for Yahoo, with shares plunging 15% in the wake of the weekend collapse of merger talks with Microsoft. Yahoo’s President, Sue Decker, sat down with Yahoo Finance Tech Ticker editor Sarah Lacy in San Francisco and recounted her version of events during the 3-month takeover battle. She reiterated what looks to be a key Yahoo theme: Jerry Yang & Co. never received written confirmation of Microsoft’s $33 raised bid. This is an echo of comments made by Yahoo sources over the weekend (including those to the Wall Street Journal and CNBC).

Now that the Microsoft-Yahoo deal is tabled, what is Microsoft’s next move? Many are assuming Microsoft is waiting for Yahoo’s stock to tank in order to sweep in and make another pass at Yahoo. Others are counting on Microsoft buying another Web 2.0 powerhouse in Yahoo’s stead–a MySpace, FaceBook or an AOL.

With Yahoo’s stock down, Yahoo and CEO Jerry Yang are facing lawsuits from angry stockholders. Yang says he was open to Microsoft’s advances, but "they choose to walk away." Reportedly, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer refused to meet Yang’s price of $37 a share. Meantime, Yahoo’s CEO choose to focus on a questionable deal with Google.