New Batch of Windows Flaws Give Hackers a Roadmap to Riches
by Alex Woodie

Microsoft yesterday issued eight patches for 10 flaws, including six critical vulnerabilities that hackers have already started to pore over. While there were no zero-day flaws, the new batch poses a very real danger to users, who can be unknowingly redirected to a malicious site, or infected by viewing a malicious ad inserted onto an otherwise trusted Web site. April's Patch Tuesday also takes the shine off Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista SP1, which needed patching due to their extensive reuse of legacy Windows code. READ MORE >

Yahoo Rebuffs Microsoft's Threat of a Hostile Takeover
by Alex Woodie

The stalemate in Microsoft's nine-week attempt to buy Yahoo has finally broken, spurred by a threat by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to go hostile with the takeover bid if Yahoo doesn't accept the deal within three weeks. The threat didn't sit well with Yahoo executives, who questioned Ballmer's intentions while maintaining that Microsoft needs to pony up more dough to seal the deal. READ MORE >

AMD to Slash 10 Percent of Workforce Amid Sales Shortfall
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

PC and server chip vendor Advanced Micro Devices got this week off to a wobbly start when it announced on Monday after Wall Street closed for business for the day that its sales were lower than expected in the first quarter. And because its costs are outstripping its sales, the company also said that it would be cutting its employee rolls. READ MORE >

Options to Microsoft's Hosted E-Mail Abound
by Alex Woodie

The rush is on to sign up small and mid size businesses (SMBs) to hosted e-mail contracts. Google and Yahoo, with their 2007 acquisitions of Postini and Zimbra, respectively, are the early leaders in the space, and Microsoft, with its Microsoft Online Services (MOS) for SMB announcement last month, is the latest entry. These Web giants have scale on their sides, but SMBs should be aware of their limitations and alternatives. READ MORE >