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New Trojan Threatens Windows XP SP 2

lightdarkness writes "Symantec is reporting about a new virus called Phel (Anagram of 'help') which is a Trojan which spreads via a HTML file. All the user needs to do is go to the page, and it takes advantage of the vulnerability in the IE Help control component files. This allows the attacker to download malicious programs on to the machine. Worst part is, this is one of the exploits that even effects SP2. Microsoft is said to be working to stop the spread, and to release a patch." The exploit is apparently not the same as the help file problems disclosed last week.

3 of 241 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Yep. Firefox is not a threat. by klang · · Score: 5, Insightful

    nope, Firefox is not at threat to Internet Explorer .. Internet Explorer is a threat to Internet Explorer!

  2. The MSFT Party Line by HangingChad · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The problem is, the end users who will visit these types of sites...

    That's good, blame the victim. Just what sites are those? Where's the big list of sites you shouldn't visit? We might know where to avoid, but how is Joe User going to know?

    Typical MSFT response. Instead of fixing their busted ass software they blame the victim. How's the weather in Redmond today?

    --
    That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
  3. just remember by cinnamon+colbert · · Score: 5, Insightful

    1) the list of FORMER competitors of MS is a long one..anyone remember DR-DOS, which always got better reviews in the trade journals ? Lets add borland, lotus, star office, etc etc. A rationale person has some humility and or fear when confronted with a proven champion, regardless of the methods the champion uses.

    2) Unlike other companies, MS can survive a disaster - (either DOS 4 or 5) was a dog that would have killed any other company; MS survived to fight another day (eg, borland died when they were late with one product). I'm sure /. readers can supply many other examples of companies that died when there single flagship product was late or buggy; only MS can live to fight another day, with its cash flow and monomply posistions.

    3) IMHO, MS has developed an unusual corp ability - the ability to throw money at a problem and solve it. IF gates and ballmer were really interested, they could release a new IE next year.

    4) Gates is laughing at /. and firefox cause they are playing the wrong game. I don't think he cares a flying f*ck about technical superiority, or bloat or stuff like that; he cares about market share. For all we know, he may be happy that the 10% of the market consisting of geeks is distracted by linux and firefox - it never makes economic sense for a biz to care about more then 80% of the market.

    5) there is something kinda pathetic and geekish and teenagerish in this constant gloating about bugs in MS products. Maybe worm writers don't write for *nix because that is not where the market is - if you r interested in making money, an not tech bragging writes, why wd u care about the geeks using linux. no money and hard to cheat - just not a soft target (the same principal by which "insurgents" choose unarmored Iraqis over armored mobile americans.
    Untill there is some reasonably similar user base, any comparision of worms or bugs or whatever you want to call them, between nix and ms, is meanignleess. Its sort of like comparing gas mileage between GM and solectra. Just not a comparison that has meaning in the real world of sales and market share.

    6) Since the game gates is playing is market share and sales and PROFITS, maybe he is not that interested in the OS or the browser - maybe they think OSs and Browsers will become commodity objects, and the money is in apps.
    think about ibm selling its pc division - companies exist to make money, not technically superior produdts. Sometimes you can win on technical superiority; sometimes not