Slashdot Mirror
New Windows Worm on the Loose
Dynamoo writes "The Internet Storm Center has issued a Yellow Alert due to the spread of the Sasser worm exploiting Windows 2000 and XP machines through a documented flaw in the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) as described in Microsoft Bulletin MS04-011. Initial analysis seems to indicate classic Blaster-style worm behaviour. Right now I'm just getting a probe every 10 minutes or so on my firewall, but this is bound to escalate sharply as the pool of infected machines grows. Of course all good Windows-using Slashdotters visit Windows Update regularly and have a firewall, don't you? More information at Computer Associates, F-Secure, Symantec and McAfee."
Ya ooo what a gigantic problem.. Every pc user with a brain should have a firewall and anti virus sofware running. If they havent learned yet they deserve to be infected. Heres the extremly complicated solution: Auto update everyday.
Microsoft needs to stop rehashing NT 4.0 code into Windows 2000, XP and 2003. Isn't it funny how an exploit in NT 4.0 also appears on NT 5.x systems?
It is common knowledge that microsoft products are by default about as safe from penetration as a prostitute's vagina, and Microsoft is no doubt aware that most of it's users will never change the default settings.
Microsoft had, and continues to, demonstrate a complete inability to produce secure software regardless of supposed efforts to do so, probably because they are suffering from chronic featuritis and will not remove an insecure item if it will also break some (most likely useless) feature.
For as long as this mentality continues, their products will remain bloated and insecure.
We are now approaching the point where other operating systems can compete with Windows tit for tat, and as those alternatives surpass Windows, Microsoft's featuritis and inability to rectify the mess that is their source code will turn around and kick their feet out from under them.