Web Bug in Microsoft's Security Page??

From: exdubgal@spammenever.net
Date: 01/16/02 

From: exdubgal@spammenever.net
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 23:20:17 GMT

While reading Microsoft's "Security Best Practices Checklist" [
http://www.microsoft.com/privacy/safeinternet/security/best_practices/default.htm
], ZoneAlarm warned me that it had thwarted attempts to send
information from my machine to another server [a total of 4 times
between 21:15:48 GMT and 21:16:30 GMT].

I ran an Arin WhoIs lookup on the IP address ZA reported
(207.46.197.113), which resulted in:
   Microsoft (NETBLK-MICROSOFT-GLOBAL-NET)
       One Redmond Way
       Redmond, WA 98052
       US

       Netname: MICROSOFT-GLOBAL-NET
       Netblock: 207.46.0.0 - 207.46.255.255

       Coordinator:
          Microsoft (ZM39-ARIN) noc@microsoft.com
          425-936-4200

       Domain System inverse mapping provided by:

       DNS1.CP.MSFT.NET 207.46.138.20
       DNS2.CP.MSFT.NET 207.46.138.21
       DNS1.TK.MSFT.NET 207.46.232.37
       DNS1.DC.MSFT.NET 207.68.128.151
       DNS1.SJ.MSFT.NET 207.46.97.11

       Record last updated on 20-Jun-2001.
       Database last updated on 15-Jan-2002 02:39:50 EDT.

Because the main scenarios mentioned in the alert [outdated version of
ZA or not having it set to launch at start-up] don't apply in my case,
I took a look at the page source code and found this near the top:

<LAYER visibility="hide"><DIV style="display:none;"><IMG
src="http://c.microsoft.com/trans_pixel.asp?source=www&TYPE=PV&p=privacy_safeinternet_security_best_practices&r=http%3A//www.microsoft.com/security/default.asp"
height="0" width="0" hspace="0" vspace="0" Border="0"></DIV></LAYER>
<DIV Ttyle="display:none;">

Am I correct in suspecting that this may very well be a Web bug? If
so, the particular page involved is more than ironic...

BTW: While I read that there has been a Web bug "detector" written for
MSIE, I'm wondering if something similar might be in the works for
Netscape and/or Opera; anyone heard/read anything about that?

Thanks.

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