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Win32 Blaster Worm is on the Rise
EvilNight writes "You know you've got it when a 60 second shutdown timer pops up on your screen. The virus uses the RPC vulnerability. It looks like it's reaching critical mass today. Luckily, it's an easy one to stop: Download this security update. Once you've installed that patch, go here and
download the removal tool." Update: 08/12 19:19 GMT by M : Security bulletin URL corrected.
Or better yet, have it point to the executable so we can install it. I mean, come on, this is Slashdot. We're handed, on a silver platter, a program that will launch a DOS on Microsoft, our evil nemisis, and we're trying to UNinstall it? I'm ashamed of all of you.
Most firewall software is annoying as hell. The first step in diagnosing network problems on other machines is to tell the user to disable zonealarm or whatever piece of shit he/she is using for a firewall. You'd be surprised how often that is the source of trouble.
Firewalls are useful for servers. For workstations they generally suck and have poor usability. I haven't found one yet that is up to my standards and I've tried all major brands.
In anycase, firewalls are essential for idiots because they don't know what they are running and probably have dozens of spyware and legitimate but useless tools running. If on the other hand you do know what you are running, you also know what ports are open (namely exactly the ones that you want open). In the case of MS there are some ports you cannot close. However, you can disable most of the rpc services that use it (don't share files/printers on a external connection, kill the messenger service).
For people who know their configuration, not running a firewall is a minor, calculated risk. So what if people can ping me? So what if they can see I'm not running several familiar services? So what if they can connect to port 135? So what if Bill Gates wants send information to some vague ip addresses every few minutes?
Jilles
So you really think disconnecting all the comps from the network, downloading and burning the patches then physically going round all the computers with a CD (tip: many corporate pcs dont have a cd drive) is easier then typing (or I suppose scripting!) shutdown /a.
retard.
Bush and Blair ate my sig!
i'm typing this under xp that gets several hard lock ups a day, usually while playing EA games (whereas halflife runs flawlessly while ripping internet streams into mp3 in the background)
so please, stfu anonymous halfwit, (intelligent) people hate M$ because M$ can be mediocre and get away with it as they're the monopoly that controls nearly all the desktops on earth including the ones at the DoJ and sitting on foreign desktops with their backdoors wide open for spook snooping...