Slashdot Mirror
New Microsoft Worm Coming Soon?
Seft sent in a solid article running on the BBC discussing the next potential worm explosion on the heels of a recent
Security Bulletin from Microsoft. The article is a somewhat general topic piece on worms in general.
...Scientists predict the sun will rise tomorrow.
on the heals of a recent Security Bulletin from Microsoft
Apparently, the worm infects the user's grammar-checker, rendering it inoperable.
"Malicious hackers are starting to circulate computer code that exploits recently found vulnerabilities"
Starting? When was this article written 1993?
All my friends and family use Worm 9.0! It's easier than ever!
Its a shame the only people who read these articles are the ones who aren't affected in the first place.
A pre-worm article
A current worm article
And a post-worm article?
Essentially three times the FUD, bashing, turfing, and... well, slashdot.
A winner is you!
"Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), and Windows 95 also are not affected by this issue." So we can save ourselves by downgrading to previous windows versions? Or is this just a shameless plug? "However, these products are no longer supported. Users of these products are strongly encouraged to upgrade to later versions." Yup. It's a plug for newer, even more vunerable software, alright.
10 Bits= $.25
100 Bits= $.50
110 Bits= $.75
1000 Bits= 1 byte
There's a new worm out there that exploits a security hole still in Windows 2k/XP from when it was released.
It has the capability to shut down applications, goes right through anti-virus software (even the latest patches!!!), and gives total control of the victim computer to the creator of the worm.
An attempt by the powers that be to shut down it's source of updates was thwarted by various government agencies and the worm itself.
Unfortunately there is no patch to get rid of the W32.MS.AutoUpdateRequired worm.
I believe this all refers to MS03-039, released on 9/10/2003. If you've updated your system since last Wednesday, you're protected and the patch won't show up as a Critical Update, because you've been scanned and MS has determined that you're already patched.
Of course, if you're using Linux and you go to the Windows Update site, you won't find any critical updates for your system there either.
>> I, for one, welcome our new worm Overlords.
:(
With that attitude, the movie Dune would have been a lot more boring.
What would be a good value for x?
X would clearly be PC dependent for optimum worm spread. An obvious thing would be to deliver the fatal payload after the infection had spread to, say, 15 other PC's. This would cause exponential spread until the number of vulnerable machines became limiting.
But thats *boring*. A much more twisted & evil thing to do would be to deliver a payload at a mission-critical point. For example, after MS Word had been used excessively over a few days, and the word CONCLUSION was typed in.
From Microsoft:
Note Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), and Windows 95 also are not affected by this issue. However, these products are no longer supported. Users of these products are strongly encouraged to upgrade to later versions.
WTF? How this translates to me - "If your computer is immune from these new strains of virii you are strongly encouraged to make it vulnerable."
"Am I the only one who noticed that the woman in the BBC Article's picture (directly above the "The MSBlast worm hit some users hard" Caption text) is using an old mac,"
The virus turns your PC into a Mac?! Now that's a creative way to hit users hard.
"Derp de derp."
> Even if you do learn to speak correct English, whom are you going to speak it to? -- Clarence Darrow
Friend, you mean, "Even if you do learn to speak correct English, to whom are you going to speak it? -- Clarence Darrow"