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Windows Users Fear Korgo Virus
An anonymous reader writes "A new virus is on the prowl that can infect your Windows XP/2K system and record every key you hit on your keyboard. The keys are then sent back to the virus creator where he/she can steal your passwords and credit card information. The virus named, Korgo, started showing up in the last week of May but it now has at least six different variants. To protect yourself from this nasty virus, Microsoft is urging all users to download the KB835732 Security Update. As with the Sasser worm, you'll get the Korgo virus without even knowing it. It does not arrive by email, but simply by being connected to a network or to the Internet without having a patched machine or a properly configured firewall."
I wish that, just once, a lot of people will get ripped off. The credit card companies will cover any losses (they have to by law), and people will actually realise that yes, keeping up to date with patches is a good idea.
Yes and then people fail to understand why it takes some time to patch up all machines.
At work we do the releases in steps, first the IT dept, then the superusers. And then we take the rest in steps to prevent too much trouble.
But it just not install the patch on 2000 machines as soon it comes out.
Let's not forget that most users (which wouldn't be reading /.) don't have any idea about this stuff. This confuse virus scanners with firewall, and think patching is something you do with clothes. So no, they don't really deserve it.
Like it or not, they want their PC to work like their television. As much as you or I don't like it, they are the people that are keeping Windows suppport folks employed.
I can't say how many times I've helped with someone's machine, and they've had multiple virus infections, spyware and general crap on their machine because they don't know any better. It's a fact of life that Microsoft is going to have to own up to if they want to stay on top. They raised the beast, now they need to teach it the rules.
It's 11PM, do you know where your pants are?
Despite the default config of 2k/XP to inform you that updates are available, we've been fixing hundreds of machines infected with Sasser, and even Blaster. Users simply ignore the update warning, or outright refuse to run it. One user mentioned "Why would I need to run that?"
Even Microsoft can't prevent ignorance.
113: auth
3067: unknown
The first two, at least, are service ports (Why else would something exploit them) So the question is really, "why are they open by default?"
I expect this will be fixed in XP SP2.
The next time I boot into windows, I reckon I'm gonna be destroyed... I haven't updated in ages, so anything that zonealarm misses is heading straight for me.
im in ur
It's easy for us to say that, we're computer users who (presumably) know what we're doing. But if one is to condemn non-patchers in that way - I assume you also change your oil every 3000 miles, go to the dentist every 6 months, floss daily, get an annual physical, clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load, eat 6 daily servings of vegetables, rotate your tires every 20,000 miles, have all your car's factory recalls done, change the air filters in your heater monthly, and perform all the other mindless routine maintenance you're supposed to do.
The bottom line is, no one on earth outside the most anal retentive person alive does all that stuff. Not doing any of them could have consequences, but people simply don't have time to do all this shit.
So yes, I do blame microsoft. One shouldn't have to constantly check symantec's web page just to keep your computer usable. Computers are appliances now. They should just work, dammit.
What a surprise it wasn't mentioned that this was patched months ago, right?
This vulnerability is the LSASS Buffer Overrun Vulnerability, already patched way back on April 13. Slashdot probably had at least two or three articles on it back then as well if you wanna do a search for "sasser."
If you haven't patched after two months, you're just the same as all those people who got hit with Blaster, which was also already patched beforehand. Linux distros issue security patches for their vulnerabilities weekly and nobody complains, but when Microsoft releases a patch, suddenly it's this huge issue to run a tiny executable that plugs security flaws, and then people bitch at Windows two months later when a virus comes out to exploit it...
Just saying. How can one criticize their security if they won't apply their security patches? Almost all major software is gonna require a patch eventually. I don't get this steadfast need to avoid patching Windows boxes while freely recompiling Linux kernels on a whim for production servers when a minor point release comes out.
"Sufferin' succotash."
Good of you to propagate this idea, except it doesn't hold water. May I draw your attention to the Apache web server vs. IIS.
Windows is indeed a larger target, but the fact that Windows gets hit more often is its the easier of the two, virus writers are just like the rest of us, lazy. These flaws in Linux differ from those in Windows in that its so much easer to exploit the Windows ones.
Windows has a larger attack area, but whomever is the first to successfully attack and damage Linux in the same way is going to go down in history, whereas who cares about who writes these, there's no skill involved.
"I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."