A Worm's Worm

Ugh... by c0dedude · 2004-05-14 12:00 · Score: 5, Funny

Jeez, they never fully test these worms before release. No wonder they'd have security issues.

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Since when has this country used intellectual elite as a pejorative term?

Re:Ugh... by irokitt · 2004-05-14 12:09 · Score: 5, Funny

This is why every worm should be released under the GPL. Then independant worm enthusiasts can verify the security of worm code and contribute patches and improvements to the author.

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If my answers frighten you, stop asking scary questions.
Re:Ugh... by dealsites · 2004-05-14 12:09 · Score: 5, Funny

I imagine that most of these virus writers are not formally educated in programming, but able to hack together code snippets they find on the web. It's a wonder some of them work as well as they do. I doubt they do peer review or use a CVS to manage their code.

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New deal processing engine online: http://www.dealsites.net/livedeals.html
Re:Ugh... by inertialmatrix · 2004-05-14 12:28 · Score: 5, Insightful

"most of these virus writers are not formally educated in programming, but able to hack together code snippets they find on the web. It's a wonder some of them work..."

heh.. sure, right. God knows that unless you have a masters in CS your only chance to program something like code red, blaster, or sasser is by hacking "together code snippets [you] find on the web" Christ, 3 years into a CS major, and aside from the calculus I have yet to make any large leaps in knowledge over what I already knew several years ago.

Maybe that's what grad school is for?
Re:Ugh... by taped2thedesk · 2004-05-14 12:36 · Score: 3, Insightful

A lot of schools used to offer as a electives in high school, but thanks to constant budget cuts, the "leave every child behind" act, etc, many have had to drop these classes. Pretty sad.
Re:Ugh... by drskrud · 2004-05-14 12:41 · Score: 3, Interesting

That's something that really depends on the school. I remember my elementary school would have a class that consisted of Logo Writer / Microworlds that I took in the first grade...

My former high school offered a Visual Basic course in grade 10... but that's VB.

However, there's a lot one can learn by teaching themselves from a book, and I think that's where a lot of the talented young programmers get their starts. It may be that writing annoying viruses and worms are just some kid's way of testing and/or proving the knowledge s/he's gained. But I'd like to think that usually the smarter ones find more meaningful applications of their skills.
Re:Ugh... by httptech · 2004-05-14 12:51 · Score: 4, Informative

This is already happening. Agobot is a GPLed malware project. Although it's not quite a worm, it can spread unattended once given the command to do so. Plenty of people are contributing to it (although some of them have been arrested in the past few days) and the feature list is quickly growing.
Re:Ugh... by John+Hasler · 2004-05-14 13:09 · Score: 4, Insightful

I imagine that many of these virus writers are professionals, well-paid by their spammer employers.

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Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
Re:Ugh... by jesser · 2004-05-14 13:48 · Score: 5, Funny

So if I'm infected, I can demand a copy of the source code?

--
The shareholder is always right.
Re:Ugh... by pyite · 2004-05-14 13:53 · Score: 3, Informative

When I was a sophomore, my school was just starting to offer AP Computer Science A (C++) to juniors and seniors. I petitioned and got in the class. Out of roughly forty students only I and one other student got a 5 on the exam. Due to the obvious lack of preparation of most of the kids entering the course, I encouraged my teacher to try to start an intro. class. Surprisingly, he listened, and even listened to my language recommendation of Scheme. That summer he went to a Scheme teacher's workshop type thing geared to starting coures in Scheme. Sure enough, the following fall, a semester course called Introduction to Computer Programming was being taught using Scheme to grades 10 and above. High schools can be decent places to learn coding, if you have faculty that is motivated to teach it. I even managed to start a chapter of the American Computer Science League in my school. That kind of failed since we were all seniors who were far past giving a damn. It was still a good idea though.

--
"Nature doesn't care how smart you are. You can still be wrong." - Richard Feynman
Re:Ugh... by sulli · 2004-05-14 14:43 · Score: 3, Funny

Also I took independant studys in c for a extra year.
In place of English class, apparently.

--

sulli
RTFJ.
Re:Ugh... by lommer · 2004-05-14 15:24 · Score: 4, Interesting

I have a very serious suggestion, namely that Agobot, once it infects a host, should patch the host, remove spyware, and remove other virii, and then propogate itself a maximum of 10 times (to conserve bandwidth). Though you are still doing unauthorized stuff to other peoples' computers, if you're gonna make a virus, you may as well make it beneficial. Maybe that way fewe people would get arrested...

Given that it's a GPL project, I can't imagine that it would be too hard to find a few dedicated coders who would be willing to work on such a fork.
Re:Ugh... by Rob+Simpson · 2004-05-14 15:54 · Score: 5, Interesting

Of course, and its a sad comment on the state of computing today that this is a unique case. Human viruses are thoughtfully provided with their source code - exceeding even the requirements of the GPL - so they can be compiled by your cells.
Yay for Free Software! (Achoo!)
Re:Ugh... by foobario · 2004-05-14 17:06 · Score: 5, Insightful

>Maybe that's what grad school is for?

No, but the remainder of your undergraduate education will benefit if you continue to hope that this is true.

Every year in my EE and CS programs I figured that 'next year' would be the year I'd really learn something useful, but that day never arrived. Nonetheless I managed to graduate, get a high-paying job, and get laid off 20 months ago after 3 years of 15 hour days. Now I think about taking classes at the community college, welding maybe, but I just can't get up the energy to do it.

You see, you are wrong in assuming that calculus is the only thing you've learned so far. You've also learned The Secret a year earlier than most people.

You know those tests they do on rats, where they put them in a maze, and if they do the wrong thing they get an electric shock, but if they do the right thing they get the cheese?

The Secret is this:

You are the rat.
The electric shock is *always* on.
***There Is No Cheese***.
Re:Ugh... by Kiryat+Malachi · 2004-05-14 19:22 · Score: 3, Insightful

Funny.

I learned lots of useful things in undergrad. I use them roughly 7-9 hours a day, doing a job I actually enjoy.

And I got an EE degree. Maybe it's because I'm not a programmer.

Maybe you just worked for a shitty company? (And before you get pissy about it, I work for a Fortune 100 company - it ain't just small company's that can be decent to work for.)

--

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Mod me down, you fucking twits. Go ahead. I dare you.
(I read with sigs off.)
Re:Ugh... by ajs318 · 2004-05-14 19:49 · Score: 3, Interesting
You should try my personal favourite software licence:

Copyright (c) yyyy, The Author and Contributors. All rights reserved until yyyy when this work will enter the Public Domain.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
- Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
- Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution. Any redistribution of the software or derived work in binary form must be accompanied by an offer of the source code, to be valid until the lapse of copyright on the work in question. In case of default on this offer, any affected party may use reasonable force to obtain the source code.
- The name of the author may not be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
- Modifications on such a scale that they are deemed by applicable local laws to constitute a whole new work are exempt from this licence.
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
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Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
Re:Ugh... by Technonotice_Dom · 2004-05-14 19:52 · Score: 3, Interesting

Welchia perhaps? It doesn't remove spyware and was designed to remove just one worm but that's kind of what you're on about I think.

I ran into Welchia.B the other day which went after MyDoom (SCO) and downloaded 5 patches or so from MS and installed them on the system. Trouble is, that it's still a worm - nobody wants it on their system - it took me a couple hours to identify and remove it then get Windows running again.

Welchia.B was trying to run four different exploits on remote IPs - I sniffed all the traffic it was generating - trying to exploit up to a hundred IPs a second at one point. Max of 10 times to conserve bandwidth...? It has to find the other PCs first.

The patches it downloaded screwed up the XP installation badly, so a reinstall over the top brought it back. I don't want worms that try and fix other worms (get Avast or AVG etc instead).
Re:Ugh... by Anarke_Incarnate · 2004-05-14 23:39 · Score: 3, Informative

But he is not saying it is in the public domain. He is saying that from year YYYY until year YYYY(+X) he owns the copyright and can make demands as such. Once YYYY(+X), it becomes public domain and then, as such, can be done with as pleased. Until then, the demands as to copyright notice are his to make.
Re:Ugh... by mabinogi · 2004-05-15 00:22 · Score: 4, Funny

You are correct, and I am a moron.

Next time I'll read all of the comment, not just random words ;)

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Advanced users are users too!
Re:Ugh... by lostchicken · 2004-05-15 08:05 · Score: 3, Interesting

All binaries come with "source code", machine code. It's a language that most of us don't use, but it's still a language. My CPU uses this "source code" to create a different set of instructions that are executed by the core of the CPU. You can read the machine code and see what the app is doing. DNA and RNA are pretty much just machine code for cells.

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-twb

I've had enough by KevinKnSC · 2004-05-14 12:00 · Score: 5, Funny

Worm writers have got to start taking security more seriously.

Re:I've had enough by iminplaya · 2004-05-14 12:32 · Score: 5, Funny

Well, at least Microsoft worm writers. I'm sure Linux and Mac worms are much more secure. :-)

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What?

all new low by ResQuad · 2004-05-14 12:00 · Score: 5, Funny

This is an all new low. Now virus programmers will have to make their virus's better so they dont get infected by another virus.

I think everyone should go ultra secure, the best firewall ever... Disconnect from the net. It would make this all alot easier on us.

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snowulf.com

Re:all new low by Anonymous Coward · 2004-05-14 12:47 · Score: 5, Funny

Now virus programmers will have to make their virus's better so they dont get infected by another virus.

Maybe they can just run Norton AntiVirus - oh wait...

geez by killerface · 2004-05-14 12:01 · Score: 3, Insightful

You know this seems at first to be really creative . But think he/she is just riding on sassers coattails

Re:geez by 0racle · 2004-05-14 12:19 · Score: 4, Funny

You know, Blaster and Sasser seemed at first to be really creative. But think he/she is just riding on Windows coattails.

--
"I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."

planned by name773 · 2004-05-14 12:01 · Score: 4, Interesting

did the sasser writer make it expandable on purpose? this isn't the first time a thing like this has happened.

Re:planned by wo1verin3 · 2004-05-14 12:44 · Score: 4, Funny

sure it could have been planned...

Coming soon....
http://www.sasser-plugins.com

This is why... by boffy_b · 2004-05-14 12:02 · Score: 5, Funny

...we need to stop relying on thrid-party worms, we need Micro-Soft certified worms to ensure our securtity....

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Windows is only $500 if your time is worthless.

Re:This is why... by wmspringer · 2004-05-14 12:14 · Score: 3, Interesting

You mean like IE? I've certainly had enough programs try to get me to install that on my computer..

--
Twenties Retirement
Re:This is why... by duffel · 2004-05-14 12:30 · Score: 4, Funny

...we need to stop relying on thrid-party worms, we need Micro-Soft certified worms to ensure our securtity....
You mean like IE? I've certainly had enough programs try to get me to install that on my computer..

Wouldn't that be a trojan horse rather than a worm? Worms are more like those automatic updates, burrowing into your system... Although that program that downloads them would be more like a trojan horse, and the downloading of updates the payload...

Yes, that's it! Windows is a trojan horse designed to sneek windows updates onto your computer!

Tremble before my mighty logic!
Re:This is why... by writermike · 2004-05-14 12:51 · Score: 5, Funny

...we need to stop relying on thrid-party worms, we need Micro-Soft certified worms to ensure our securtity....

Heh.

The Virus you're about to install has not passed Windows Logo testing to verify its compatibility with Windows XP.

Continue Anyway.

--
If Nalgene water bottles are outlawed, only outlaws will have Nalgene water bottles.

Spyware and others by r.jimenezz · 2004-05-14 12:02 · Score: 5, Interesting

Just thought about this... With the huge number of machines out there "infected" by spyware, adware and similar programs (and many of them without their users even knowing), how long will it be until a worm is written that exploits a vulnerability in one of these programs?

--
The revolution will not be televised.

Re:Spyware and others by MrRuslan · 2004-05-14 12:13 · Score: 5, Funny

Something like a rear entry into bonzi buddies behind?
Re:Spyware and others by clambake · 2004-05-14 12:34 · Score: 4, Funny

Just thought about this... With the huge number of machines out there "infected" by spyware, adware and similar programs (and many of them without their users even knowing), how long will it be until a worm is written that exploits a vulnerability in one of these programs?

Gimme a sec.
Re:Spyware and others by nukey56 · 2004-05-14 17:17 · Score: 3, Informative
As an antivirus tech at one of the bigger anti-virus companies, I can say that I see this all the time. Real simple example:
1. Hacker breaks into adware web server, replaces lots_of_banners_here.html with omg_olol_teh_hax.html
2. said adware gets on a user's computer
3. said adware tries to get its banner ads, and BAM, user now has redlof.A
Given this isn't exactly a code-level exploit, though it is annoying enough that I sent two people to the reformat docters today because of it. Antivirus installed on the system beforehand, too.

Is not the first time it happens by gmuslera · 2004-05-14 12:03 · Score: 3, Informative

I think the Nimda worm exploited vulnerabilities created by CodeRed a few years ago.

Re:Is not the first time it happens by grunthos · 2004-05-14 12:09 · Score: 5, Informative

No, they both exploited the same holes in IIS.
Perhaps you are thinking of Welchia which exploited IIS but also removed Blaster.

--

My son's 5th grade teacher actually assigned them "write a limerick about a planet". I'm not kidding.

Plug-in by StateOfTheUnion · 2004-05-14 12:04 · Score: 5, Funny

So now worms come with hooks for third party plug-in's?

Re:Plug-in by SharpFang · 2004-05-14 12:17 · Score: 4, Interesting

Yes, for quite a while.

Quite a bit of modern worms in this or that way provide just a generic backdoor to the infected machine without performing any extra malice. Some of them just open oprts, some trick firewalls and actively "call home", which usually happens to be some random IRC server on some compromised machine (IRC seems to be preferred method for the virii writers for controlling worms, which just act as bots on the channel). Then the virii can upload a spamming software, a DDoS attack plugin, a keystroke logger, a file transfer thing, a tunneling/relay program to mask an attack, or whatever the twisted minds come up with.

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45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2

So, naturalists observe, a flea... by jbuhler · 2004-05-14 12:04 · Score: 4, Insightful

Hath smaller fleas that on him prey;
And these have smaller still to bite 'em;
And so proceed ad infinitum.

- Swift

um... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-05-14 12:05 · Score: 5, Funny

Would that make the security flaw a ::cough:: "Wormhole"?

what Microsoft is thinking by Anonymous Coward · 2004-05-14 12:05 · Score: 4, Insightful

maybe we should make a virus that causes everyone to hit up Windows Update and maybe we'll be alright.

Re:what Microsoft is thinking by arkhan_jg · 2004-05-14 19:31 · Score: 3, Insightful

This was already tried with Welchia/nachi.

It scanned for machines with the RPC blaster vulnerability or a webdav vulnerability, infected them, and then downloaded the RPC patch from windows update and installed. Next time the machine rebooted, you were secure. It also had a self kill on 1st jan 2004.

The perfect anti-worm, yes? Except it was very aggressive with the ping scanning, and a few infected machines on a network could end up cripping it. Add to that, if a machine got infected with nachi, yet windows update wasn't directly available (login proxy for example) then the amount of bandwidth consumed could be huge. From the ISP's point of view, welchia was a worse worm than blaster. From the managers point of view, at least it was obvious if someone had blaster. With welchia, if you didn't have competent inhouse IT staff (and an awful lot of small companies don't) it was hard to find why your network was running rather slow.

In response to just turning on autoupdate, corporates often don't use windows update, but SUS or ghost or the like to roll out patches - once they've been fully tested. Don't forget, microsoft patches regularly break other applicatons. LSASS (sasser) update, for example:

"According to the article problem may arise on Windows 2000 operating systems if any of three drivers (ipsecw2k.sys, imcide.sys, dlttape.sys) are loaded. People might experience lockups at boot time, the inability to log on, or 100% CPU utilization."

Antiworms are a possible solution, but as with this new one leaving a big backdoor, so far they've been as bad as the virus they supplant. What they should do, at most, is a popup every time you logon saying you are infected with virus bob, list the symptoms, and tell them they have to go to this location to get the patch and the removal tool.

--
Remember kids, it's all fun and games until someone commits wholesale galactic genocide.

It's ok... SP1 is coming soon by licamell · 2004-05-14 12:06 · Score: 5, Funny

The author in response to the news announce that he will be releasing Service Pack 1 within the next week. Make sure to set up your computer to get updates automatically from update.sasser.com.

Re:It's ok... SP1 is coming soon by int2str · 2004-05-14 12:37 · Score: 4, Informative

Nope, the Sasser author is going to Jail (http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/47205 - sorry, in german).
SP1 will be a while ;)

Just like the Anti-HIV Virus! by Cyberherbalist · 2004-05-14 12:06 · Score: 5, Insightful

There was something on /. the other day about a team of biologists who built a virus based on HIV, that goes out to destroy HIV ability to turn to AIDS. Apparently, the Dabber developer took a page from that book --- in a twisted sort of way.

--
"The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance."

MS is on it... by wo1verin3 · 2004-05-14 12:07 · Score: 5, Funny

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-014
Security Update for Microsoft Windows (93212)

Issued: May 14, 2004
Updated: May 14, 2004
Version: 1.0

Summary
Who should read this document: Customers who use the Sasser worm

Impact of vulnerability: Remote Code Execution

Maximum Severity Rating: Critical

Recommendation: Customers running the Sasser worm should apply the update immediately to be protected from Dabber.

Security Update Replacement: This bulletin replaces several prior security updates. See the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section of this bulletin for the complete list.

Caveats: The security update is for Windows 2000, XP Pro and Home, and Windows 2003 server platforms. As a prerequisite, the security update requires your system be infected with Sasser.

To download the Sasser worm, please open Outlook Express or Outlook 2000/XP and execute any attachements you have recieved from unknown senders. If you are not using Sasser you do not need to install this update.

Once installed your system will be immune from being infected with Dabber which exploits a flaw in the widely popular Sasser worm.

Tested Software and Security Update Download Locations:

Affected Software:

Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 2, Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3, and Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 - Download the update

Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 - Download the update

Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Service Pack 1 - Download the update

Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003 - Download the update

Microsoft Windows Server(TM) 2003 - Download the update

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 64-Bit Edition - Download the update

This is *almost* a wonderful thing by Gribflex · 2004-05-14 12:08 · Score: 5, Insightful

Dabber than installs itself and deletes the registry keys of Sasser and other viruses.

This is fantastic! It is a virus, that infects only virus infected machines, and then removes all other virii. What a great solution to rapidly spreading worms.

If users are too lazy or ignorant (in the nice sense of the word) to patch their systems, then just relase another virus to do it for them.

Except that...

It [then] creates a backdoor on infected machines on TCP port 9898 allowing hackers to download additional code...

They just couldn't stop at doing a good thing, could they...

Re:This is *almost* a wonderful thing by Reivec · 2004-05-14 12:46 · Score: 4, Insightful

You are missing a big point here. The worms effect us all in a much more annoying way. Internet traffic clogging up my connection speed. Why do I care if stupid people can't use their computer? If there was an "Anti-Worm" it would still cause tons of traffic scanning the networks and even if it helped infected people, I don't give a damn. They were too stupid and didn't protect their systems or use something besides windows, not my fault. So basically in my book, the cure would be just as bad as the problem.
Re:This is *almost* a wonderful thing by alonsoac · 2004-05-14 13:10 · Score: 4, Interesting

This was never about doing a good thing. It's plain competition. Any decent worm should be able to remove all other worms and viruses from the system in order to have complete control over it. I bet this will only get more common.

Then again it should be easy to release this new work without the code that opens the backdoor so that it only does the removal part?

Re:Same for my mac by gmuslera · 2004-05-14 12:11 · Score: 4, Funny

In computing are the windows the ones with worms, not the apples.

A Quick Fix by magefile · 2004-05-14 12:11 · Score: 3, Funny

Everyone:

if you have windows, type, "format C:"
if you have linux, or Mac OSX, type "su if you have a pre-OSX Mac, get someone to translate the above commands for you

That'll take care of the folks who don't patch or use a firewall or AV. I figure anyone smart enough to do that won't run the commands ... and anyone running a different OS won't have virus issues anyway (and will probably be smart enough to firewall, too!).

Re:A Quick Fix by rjshields · 2004-05-14 12:28 · Score: 5, Funny

if you have windows, type, "format C:"

Why yes, I have windows. I even have doors too. I typed "format C:" like you said but I just got a message saying "the page cannot be displayed".

--
In this world nothing is certain but death, taxes and flawed car analogies.

This is doubly ironic! by Cyno01 · 2004-05-14 12:13 · Score: 4, Informative

Sasser was intended to be a helpful virus and remove mydoom and bagel infestations...

--
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."

Not really surprising by cemaco · 2004-05-14 12:14 · Score: 5, Insightful

In the last few years, the guys who write this stuff have become more and more like gangs. In the real world, gangs compete for terf. That includes undermining each other whenever possible.

Re:Antivirus! by Jedi+Alec · 2004-05-14 12:15 · Score: 3, Funny

yeah, kinda like a dictator being replaced by one that's even worse. i can just feel the revolution on my harddisk taking place...

--

People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.

Remind Anyone of Blaster by erikharrison · 2004-05-14 12:17 · Score: 5, Interesting

Gosh, this whole mess looks just like Blaster from down here in the trenches.

I'm tech support for Tremendously Large ISP. From down here this looks just like Blaster did. Customers calling in complaining that their machine is restarting without their consent. And now someone has a follow up virus that attacks the virus - as some may recall there was a Blaster variant that patched systems AGAINST Blaster. This was terrible - if you got this variant inside a corporate network not only would your bandwidth use skyrocket, but since NAT tends to fubar Windows Update, the variant never managed to patch a system. God that was hell . . .

It's almost enough to make you want to write a virus in revenge . . .

Re:Clever by beakerMeep · 2004-05-14 12:18 · Score: 4, Funny

oh the irony.

a post with the title "clever" and the text "very clever" in a story about a "worm's worm" moderated as "redundant".

It's like rain on a rainy day.

--
meep

Patch? by durtbag · 2004-05-14 12:20 · Score: 5, Funny

So where do I doenload the patch so my Sasser isn't vulnerable?

--
itadakimasu

Sigh... by ike6116 · 2004-05-14 12:24 · Score: 5, Funny

I told you not to try Sasser, it's a gateway worm! IT LEADS TO HARDER, MORE DANGEROUS WORMS!

--

Are you secure enough in your masculinity to run 'man touch'?

It's amazing the harm one person can do... by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) · 2004-05-14 12:26 · Score: 3, Interesting

...with some software with the ability to self-replicate. God help the rest of the universe when life finally manages to get off this planet.

--
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.

DMCA violation? by David+Hume · 2004-05-14 12:28 · Score: 4, Funny

Jeez, they never fully test these worms before release. No wonder they'd have security issues.

I wonder if the author of the author of Dabber has violated the DMCA by circumventing a copyright protection system -- i.e., the code to the Sasser worm.

More specifically, I wonder if the author of Sasser can sue the author of Dabber for statutory damages of up to "$2,500 per act of circumvention." ;)

--
Only Women Bleed (Sex, Sharia remix)

Re:DMCA violation? by spectre_240sx · 2004-05-14 12:55 · Score: 5, Insightful

You jest, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was possible. Don't forget, this is the country where a buglar can sue his victims if he breaks his leg while breaking into their house and win.
Re:DMCA violation? by Jahf · 2004-05-14 13:11 · Score: 3, Interesting

There's a little difference ... if you want to use a burglar analogy, then use the analogy of a burglar stealing property from another burglar that stole it from the owners.

Both are illegal, both are prosecutable, but the "victim" burglar can't sue for loss of property from the 2nd burglar because the property belongs to the original owner.

--
It is more productive to voice thoughtful opinions (reply) than to judge (moderate) others.

Exploit available on packetstorm by Anonymous Coward · 2004-05-14 12:30 · Score: 5, Informative

The mentioned code, which is used in Dabber, can be found at http://packetstormsecurity.nl/0405-exploits/sasser ftpd.c

Actually sounds like somebody trying to fix things by Ungrounded+Lightning · 2004-05-14 12:38 · Score: 5, Interesting

This is an all new low. Now virus programmers will have to make their virus's better so they dont get infected by another virus.

Actually, this sounds like somebody trying to make a disinfectant worm. Look at the description:

- It only infects infected systems, using a flaw in the previous infection.

- It cleans out the infection of the worm that it exploited, and several others.

It does open a new backdoor. But while that might be preparation for some future malicious action, it might also have been the author leaving himself a way to fix things if his initial worm got out with a destructive bug. (Of course it could be the worm cleaning up signs of previous infections in order to hide itself and thus head off other cleanups.)

I wouldn't be surprised to see, on further analysis, that it does other antimalware things (like fix the flaw the other worms used).

(Not to say that it IS somebody trying to fight virus with virus. But it might be interesting if it turns out that it is.)

I think everyone should go ultra secure, the best firewall ever... Disconnect from the net. It would make this all alot easier on us.

Which is exactly what the military does with some of its really secure stuff.

Now if we can just get the Microsoft users to emulate them. B-)

--
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way

OS Popularity? by One+Louder · 2004-05-14 12:41 · Score: 4, Interesting

The tired argument is that Mac OS X and Linux are too unpopular to build worms and viruses for - but apparently it's worth writing worms just for Windows machines infected by a single strain of worm.

Does this situation imply that the sum total of Sasser-infected machines outnumber Macs and Linux boxes?

Add it to nmap! by JThundley · 2004-05-14 12:49 · Score: 5, Informative

Add the sasser FTP server to your nmap-services file. I run Gentoo, mines in /usr/share/nmap.

Add this line:
sasser 5554/tcp # Sasser worm FTP server

This way when you do a port scan of a host, you can tell if they've been infected with sasser :)

Just goes to show you... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-05-14 13:13 · Score: 3, Funny

Only use worms that are Microsoft Security Hole Certified!

Geek jokes by Tokerat · 2004-05-14 13:40 · Score: 5, Funny

Program code so advanced it travels through worm holes!

*rimshot*

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CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?

Fun! by Ketnar · 2004-05-14 13:46 · Score: 5, Interesting

This sort of reminds me when I wrote a counter-bug to combat an email worm that had infested an office building I was contracting to. Worked through the ever-so-lovely 'You don't have to really click the attachment for it to go off on you' bug in an older version of outlook.

It sat and watched a users inbox for the big bug at the time and pretty much acted like a counteragent, the instant they showed up, it nuked them off the machine (inbox and all) and undid whatver they managed to do.

Send one copy to everybody in the office, and instantly watch outgoing network mail traffic DROP back down to normal levels and my phone stop ringing.

I seem to recall distinctly 'forgetting' to mail it to key people, however.. *cough* :)

Would be a real shame if some of the geek-prowess around the OSS world were to start doing such counter-bugs. Alot of these backdoors, trojans, and whatnot, have gaping flaws in them because..well, guess. :P

Just think:
Infect > Disinfect > Patch > Scan nearby machines (proceed life cycle)> Local Self-remove

Could be the next revolution. Don't bother patching or downloading, we bring the cure to YOU.. :)

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My new top secret key -> C>N|KB

Phages? by Wtcher · 2004-05-14 14:00 · Score: 5, Insightful

...it reminds me of the phage/bacteriophage, actually. If I recall, those viruses kill bacteria(judging from the name...) by infecting them.

This goes on to remind me of that recent anti-HIV virus that's been in the news.

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----- Wtcher Dragon, UDIC

Is this a beginning of a new virus era....? by standing_still · 2004-05-14 16:55 · Score: 3, Interesting

Is this a beginning of a new virus era? I can see virus programmers making holes in their code on purpose just to release a second virus to take advantage of it. virus 'a' is programmed with a hole - virus 'b' takes advantage of it! A fine case of hit them when they are down!

Why not? by r_j_prahad · 2004-05-14 17:24 · Score: 3, Insightful

Even if you try to be the good guy doing beneficial stuff like that, it'll still get you just as arrested, just as photographed, and just as incarcerated under existing law as if you had done the typical evil stuff.

If the outcome is gonna be the same, might as well be an asshole.

I dropped Comp Sci by KalvinB · 2004-05-14 19:25 · Score: 3, Insightful

After two years I've given up on it. I spent two years studying philosophy and didn't bother trying to get a degree for the same reason I'm switching majors now (secondary education). I got ahead of my math classes. I've always been ahead of the programming classes. And I can't stand physics (which I'm done with finally).

The fact is that if you challenge yourself you can learn everything you'd learn in college on your own for a lot less money. In the field of technology you have to be able to teach yourself anyway or you'll find you've become obsolete.

I switched to education because I think it'd be a more entertaining and fulfilling career than sitting behind a computer all day.

"Maybe that's what grad school is for?"

Save your money. If you want to learn how to program just buy the books and come up with projects.

The reason I know as many languages as I do is because I'm always coming up with ideas. I then figure out what language would be best to implement it and learn the language.

You're better off specializing in an area (like math or physics) and then learning how to program on the side so you can utilize that skill in your profession. You don't need a comp sci degree to write modeling programs for a chemistry application. You need a chemistry degree so you understand what the program needs to do. In programming knowing what you need to do is 90% of it. The other 10% can be learned as you build the program.

Think about it. Little kids can program. It's really not that hard. But little kids don't know enough about chemistry to use their programming skills to write chemistry programs.

If you don't understand chemistry nobody really cares if you can do magic in C++ because you don't have the knowledge to make your programs do what a chemistry program needs to do.

It's the same reason the FBI doesn't care if you were on a police force. An FBI agent needs to know things you can't learn being in the police force. And what you need to learn in the police force can easily be taught to you by the FBI.

Ben

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Work Safe Porn

No sympathy to the victims by tokachu(k) · 2004-05-14 20:14 · Score: 3, Informative

...and no sympathy to the kids who release them. The vulnerability was shown well before the worm's release.

The fact is, this worm released relies on another worm that causes the computer to randomly shut down. Unlike the LSASS service, there is very little stability, therefore making it highly unlikely that a computer infected with the former worm will be hit by the latter.

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