According to reports, a new wave of exploits has appeared taking advantage of a vulnerability Adobe Flash Player. Allegedly over 200,000 web sites now have redirects to malware, including keyloggers, through embedded Flash. And we all know how evil keyloggers can be. Flash Player 9.0.115.0 appear to be the affected version.
Adobe quickly responded to the issue, saying that the vulnerability is fixed in 9.0.124.0, the latest version of the player, so to make yourself secure, all you need to do is update your Flash. To check what version you are running, go to this Adobe page. Keeping your software up-to-date is one of the best ways to close security holes; if you're truly paranoid, you could always go the route of adding Flashblock and/or No-Script into your browser. And be sure to keep an eye on our new Azeroth Security Advisor column for more tips on how to keep yourself from being compromised. Once again, to update your Flash and patch this vulnerability go to Adobe's "Get Flash" page.
Update: It is possible that certain versions of 124 (namely, the standalone version for Linux and the standalone version with debug capabilities for Windows) are also affected by the exploits. At this time it is recommended to disable Flash if you are running those versions.
Update 2: It is currently believed that all versions of 124 are safe. Nevertheless, caution is generally a good idea.
If you're a machinimist or just someone who likes to poke around the game files trying to see what The Ultimate Druid would look like (yeah, I'm guilty), good news; Wow Model Viewer has been updated for patch 2.4.2. I haven't used it since the patch hit, but according to the mod's site a few twitchy issues popped up that have since been fixed.
The developer warns that this version will not work with any version of Wow pre-2.4.2, so if you haven't downloaded and installed the patch yet, don't install this update until you do.
If you haven't had the chance to use WoW Model Viewer previously, give it a shot -- it's a wonderfully addictive little mod and a great way to get a closer look at the detail that goes into the game.
Yep, as expected after the test realm ended, patch 2.4.2 has hit the live servers, and is now available for download and installation. Daniel did a terrific roundup of what you can see in the new patch this morning. The patch notes aren't available online yet, but the only change I can see between the PTR notes and what's live is that the Druid Natural Perfection change didn't go through -- otherwise, everything else is in there as expected, including the Arena changes and the Growl changes (whatever they are).
Enjoy the new patch (and if you're an Outlands Hunter like me, enjoy your new pet!). This might be the last one we get for a while.
RMP teams are well represented among the top contenders. The top 11 teams are all within 100 points of first place, and I wouldn't count out any of the 20 teams over 1900 ratings just yet.At this point all team rosters have been locked and new additions cannot be made.
The remainder of the tournament will include a second qualifying round, followed by regional contests for a shot at the prize money.MLG Is preparing a $22,500 tournament as Blizzard works to make a place for WoW PvP as an Esport, without damaging the PvE game.I suspect that the second qualifying round on the tournament server will be much less popular than the first.
The WoW Insider team fell prey to scheduling difficulties with our Friday Night bouts, but should be back in the saddle this week.
Mania is quickly becoming the voice of choice for analysis on Hunter changes, and her latest take on the Growl changes recently released in the patch 2.4.2 notes is no exception. From what Mania can see, Growl's threat isn't scaling with Hunter Attack Power at all, but Blizzard claims it is, so she's chalking her findings in that direction up to faulty data. What she does determine, from both her research and Blizzard's posts on the subject, is that the change here has nothing to do with Hunter's RAP or AP values -- it only has to do with the pet's AP values. Before, if pet AP got a bonus, so did Growl's threat. After 2.4.2, any bonus to pet AP won't affect Growl's threat.
So Hunters who routinely get their pet buffed are probably going to feel this change a little bit (though in most situations where pets get group buffs, I'd imagine Growl would be turned off anyway, in order for the tank to control threat). And Hunters who use boars, of course -- as Daniel explained, that extra AP from Charge doesn't work for Growl any more. Mania doesn't stop there, however -- since we know now that the only thing affecting Growl is the Hunter's Attack Power, she's determined to figure out just how much AP can scale Growl up (she's guessing it starts at 1955, we'll see what she comes up with).
Of course, some players have found that this works pretty well -- especially MM Hunters, who generally have more attack power (thanks to talents which increase it), have no problems with drawing aggro away from their growling pets. Blizzard's reasoning on this may have been solid -- to make the abilities of the pet rely on Hunter stats, not any temporary pet buffs. Hunters with Boars won't get that nice burst any more, but Hunters with a high RAP will do just fine.
With the game updated to patch 2.4, and the servers "scheduled" (I use the term loosely) to come online in 15 minutes, I'm presented with a nice little server selection box when I log in. Complete with a new location (Blizzard's catogorization, not mine) to choose: "Development."
What is this?
When clicking the name I'm not seeing anything different. It still shows the realms off line. In fact, it's the only option. Now my memory isn't completely clear here, as it's something I've always just clicked on, but for my U.S. account the options there have always been "United States" and "Oceanic." So what's this new tag about? The only time I've seen this has been on the PTR.
I have a few guesses.
First, and quite likely the most plausible explanation, is that it is an artifact of the servers being upgraded. Blizzard takes the servers down, the put them into a special mode, and they update them as needed. That could be all this tag is about.
Patch 2.4 draws closer every day.Many players were speculating that it was going to be released yesterday (March 18, 2008).Blizzard has promised that the patch is coming soon and the background downloader has appeared. My best guest is that we'll be visiting Sunwell Isle on March 25, 2008.
The day that patch 2.3 was released I attempted to rush home from work to check out the new changes, but was thwarted by cross-town traffic.There are some things that I'm excited about for in the newest patch, but I'm not nearly as stoked as I was for the last major update.I try to keep in mind that what we've seen so far on the Public Test Realm is not the final product for the patch, but it gives us a pretty good indication of what's coming.
Here at WoW Insider, we've had extensive coverage of changes and updates that are being tested for the release of patch 2.4.It occurred to me that many of our newer players may not know what patching is all about.
Blizzard regularly releases updates to World of Warcraft to add new content, fix problems, and otherwise improve the game.The game has evolved considerably throughout since its launch over 3 years ago.Many quests, instances, battlegrounds, events, items, and tools have been added through various patches.Clicking through the historical patch notes can be a source of nostalgia for many players.
I should warn you: 99% of the time, updating your video card drivers will fix all kinds of problems-- it'll usually help your framerate, if it needs it, and it will often clear out problems with artifacts and other graphics glitches. But doing any system activity like updating drivers has the potential to harm your system, so always follow all instructions (like turning off all other programs and restarting the PC when asked) and, if possible, have a backup ready when you update. I've never had a system problem while updating graphics drivers, but if you're not careful, it could happen.
Reader V3T sends word that the folks behind Auctioneer did a long testing session last night, and they say that the latest builds of all the Auctioneer addons are now working under 2.3. They are, we're told, still in alpha, but V3T says they are stable enough to use and that all functions are working-- including BottomScanner, an awesome little addon that finds bargain auctions for you as they happen.
That cheering you hear is frugal and money conscious players everywhere happy to have a new build of Auctioneer under 2.3. Preview versions of the addons can be found on Auctioneer's Preview page. V3T also says they're looking for more usage and feedback, so if you do download it, make sure to report any bugs or errors and let them know what works or what doesn't.
Looks like we got a little ahead of ourselves. Before we see 2.3 on the PTRs, we're going to see 2.2.3, a small patch that is supposed to bugfix a lot of the sound problems that players are having. Patch notes are complete below, and I'm betting that if the Kael event isn't fixed yet, a fix for that will also be included in this patch. We can only hope that we'll see a small PTR appearance for 2.2.3 (so test it extra fast, folks), and then the gloriousness of 2.3 will grace us with its presence.
PTR 2.2.3 Patch Notes
Clients utilizing OpenGL video modes will no longer experience graphical anomalies and missing textures after minimizing/maximizing the window.
Fixed an issue that caused Fel Eye Stalks during the Legion Ring event to not despawn when the event is completed.
Fixed an issue where zoning after mounting and summoning a pet was disconnecting players.
Fixed an issue where the Shift key would get stuck in game.
Using a /equip macro while affected by certain crowd control spells will no longer cause the items in the macro to be stuck in your inventory.
The patch hit on Tuesday morning, and Tuesday afternoon, I began my usual cycle of addon laziness-- instead of actually updating my addons, I just checked "load out-of-date addons" setting myself up for trouble down the road, I'm sure.
But while I'll be having addon problems for a while (at least until the next patch-- I'll probably finally fix everything right before 2.3 breaks them all again), you don't need to. Kaydeethree has put together a terrific guide to fixing your addons after 2.2, with links to addons that have updated, addons that haven't updated, and a few great tips on how to update your macros as well.
It seems like KD3 is keeping an eye on addons as they update as well, so the thread will probably be updated accordingly. If, unlike me, you're motivated enough to keep your addons as up to date as possible (so that they all, y'know, actually work instead of throwing error messages at you every few seconds), then KD3's guide should help.
If you run Grisoft's AVG antivirus program, you may have seen a strange message pop up yesterday-- the program reported that there was a trojan in WoW's fmod.dll file. fmod.dll, as Datth tell us, is part of the sound engine for WoW, and is not a virus at all. But it appears that AVG picked it up as a false positive, and labeled it as dangerous when it wasn't.
There was some confusion yesterday about it, but as of right now, the fix is easy-- go to AVG's website and update it to the latest version. The most recent definitions rule WoW's directory A-OK, so everything should be fine. Apparently this is not the only false positive problem AVG has had this week-- Google Desktop was also ruled a virus, so either AVG is being too strict, or these two big software companies are getting a little too grabby for Grisoft's tastes.
Recently some new features were added to the Armory section of the World of Warcraft website.These changes were put up yesterday, and there is enough here that it's worth taking a second look at.There are lots of nifty new features that make this site a whole lot more useful to players.I can't say whether or not it is yet a contender to the database sites, but we're definitely getting there.
The first thing to notice is that the arena team standards can now be visible when you search for teams via the armory.Not only can you see who you came up against, but you can also see their fearsome (and sometimes comical) emblems. It's also nice to see that rating has been replaced by a relevance column.It seems to make more sense that way, and doesn't leave you wondering what you could possibly do to improve your rating.
Just a quick technical note (thanks to WorldofWar for the heads up): both of the major graphics card makers have released brand new drivers for their video cards recently. Even if you're not technically inclined, all you need to know is that the newer the version of video card drivers you have running, the better your 3D videogames (of which WoW is one) will look.
If you're running Nvidia cards, you can get the latest version right here. And those with ATI cards can find their new drivers over on their site. Just download the right file for your operating system, run it (you'll probably have to restart your system, so save your work), and then marvel at... OK, it probably won't look too different, but trust me when I tell you you want to be running the newest drivers possible. In fact, if anything will fix those graphical problems people have been seeing in the last patch, this probably will.
But Mike, you say, what if I don't know what kind of card I have? For Windows XP, just right click on My Computer and go to Properties. Choose the Hardware tab, then Device Manager, and then look for the "Display Adapters" menu in the list-- that should tell you the build and brand of your video card. For Mac OS X, you don't have to worry-- Apple updates your drivers for you with Software Update. And for Linux-- well, if you're running WoW on Linux, I'll assume you already know what you're doing, because I sure don't (though you can probably find help here if you need it). And yes, you technically inclined and sharp-eyed ladies and gents, I do call my custom-built, lightning fast XP box "Refridgerator." Why? Because it's freakin' cool, man.
According to reports, a new wave of exploits has appeared taking advantage of a vulnerability Adobe Flash Player. Allegedly over 200,000 web sites now have redirects to malware, including keyloggers, through embedded Flash. And we all know how evil keyloggers can be. Flash Player 9.0.115.0 appear to be the affected version.
If you're a machinimist or just someone who likes to poke around the game files trying to see what The Ultimate Druid would look like (yeah, I'm guilty), good news; 
Mania is quickly becoming the voice of choice for analysis on Hunter changes, 
With the game updated to 
Theflamecrow on WoW LJ 
Reader V3T sends word that the folks behind Auctioneer did a long testing session last night, and they say that the 
Looks like we got 
The 
Just a quick technical note (thanks to 
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