After a tech blogger wrote about a security hole in Microsoft's Windows Live Mail beta over the weekend, hundreds of Web users gained access to the closed beta test of the product.
MSN did
not return calls for comment as of press time, but the security hole still seemed to exist as of Monday. Accessing the closed beta requires the user to follow seven simple steps, after which the
user's regular Hotmail account and address will instead be linked to a Windows Live Mail page. Users then can access the Live Mail beta features, including a customizable front page, an improved
interface, anti-phishing features, and rich text editing. The security hole allowing uninvited access functions only with the Internet Explorer browser, and not with Firefox.
The blog, "Some
Fool," which published the exploit on Dec. 31, is hosted by ComputerHelpForum.org, an independent tech support site. Some Fool posted about the exploit after another tech blog, Neowin, posted--and
then deleted--the information. Some Fool experienced a massive traffic spike the first two days of this year, garnering 15,000 unique visitors.
The site author attributes the traffic spike to his
posting of the story on Digg.com, a site where users vote on stories to push them to the front page. More than 1,200 digg.com users had recommended the story by Monday.