Slashdot Mirror
Fake Microsoft Patch Triggers Virus Attack
boarder8925 writes "eWeek reports: 'Like day follows night, a bogus cumulative update with a malicious attachment has followed Microsoft's patch day. In what has become a monthly staple, virus writers are taking advantage of the heightened public interest around Microsoft's patching cycle to trick users into executing a malicious attachment. The latest social engineering trick arrives via e-mail with an attachment that purports to be a 'cumulative patch' for May 2005.'"
This is why when there's a security flaw in Firefox or the Mac people come out to say "thank gosh it was dealt with quickly, as usual."
The situation with microsoft has reached a certain critical mass where there is no public awareness of an objective security reality.
Here there be dragons. Beware.
Undoubtedly a dozen comments will say something like "If users would just follow a few simple rules..." What is the trusted source for those simple rules now that the situation is so out of hand?
Dark days indeed.
Who would fall for this? It would be like taking random "prescription medicine" which comes through the mail.
I wonder how slashdot posts stuff like this, which is very common thing, that has been done numerous times.
Social Engineering is getting to be an easier way for the script kiddes to get more victims, as more people put SP,2 which has the firewall enabled by default and so the usual attacks dont work.
dude Read The Fucking Headline..
.. this means that microsofts update didn't actually cause the harm itself directly, but dickheads who spread that stuff pretended to be microsofts update...
virus writers are taking advantage of the heightened public interest around Microsoft's patching cycle to trick users into executing a malicious attachment
and as for TFA..
Fake Microsoft Patch Triggers Virus Attack
is the headline.
-SJ53
Anybody still stupid enough to open attachements in emails like this DESERVE to get infected and have their harddrives ERASED.
Better yet, too bad the virus can't mutate from electronic to biologic means, that might solve our problems.
I see stupid people.
-- From an article on the imminent collapse of Zimbabwe, but it seemed germane to the thread...
Evil sig is livE.
Now, I'm all for making public the attacks but I think we should start bagging out the actual attackers. Cmon, social engineering through an email? Sure it'll fool a few people, and a few people is all you need to bring down a network, but let's patronise these guys. They're fuckin' con men for pete's sake and lame conmen at that. The only people they're tricking is morons. I move for guys like this to be put down at every chance.
Stop glorifying criminals!
I never understood calling it social engineering. These people make our lives miserable, why give them a "nice" bullshit name?
How is that off topic? ... No one gets the joke.. *sigh*
If it seems like nonsense to a mod, it goes down. So.... I'm confused too.
Why is it that when you believe something it's an opinion, but when I believe something it's a manifesto?
Since when is it Microsoft's fault that people are duped into running this?
Anything that mentions Windows here on slashdot results in a barrage of 'Linux' this and OSS that and how wonderful Firefox is etc etc.
Well people, if Firefox ever reached the 90% usage that IE has exactly the same kind of scam would happen when a Firefox patch was issued.
Am I the only one here over 21 and not still at school?
Microsoft are partially responsible.
After all, where in all of their glossy ads for Windows XP, Office, etc. etc. does it mention that it's important to apply regular security updates, use a virus checker and never open attachments you don't trust?
They're more than happy to sell the illusion of ease and simplicity to gullible idiots so it is as much their fault as it is Joe Sixpack's ignorance.
Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
Yes, the techies who read slashdot (and other tech news) and who work on computers all day know that Microsoft released a bunch of patches, but I would guess the average user doesn't. I would certainly guess that someone who doesn't know enough not to click on executable attachments in email, and doesn't know that Microsoft doesn't email it's patches to user, would not know that MS released a bunch of patches.
I think Slashdot has overestimated the cunning of the virus author and his timing..
I have blog like everyone else
Like the one NT has had since 1993, you mean ?
[...] the virus would be contained to user level processes and hopefully not compromise the system. The user would lose their crap.
So they'd only lose the most important data ? I'm sure that would be comforting.
Not properly evaluating or understanding attachments that are sent via email is synonymous to not critically evaluating any information that's received... such as faithfully believing whatever happens to be published on the television evening news.
Personally I'm not sure if it's so much a computer training issue. A lot of these problems might be solved in one go, if only the education system could focus a bit more on training people to be critical and cautious of all information that they receive.
I'm not trying to imply that this is all the education system's fault, either. Society's just screwed up right now, and there are so many contradictory messages out that that completely undermine so much of what good education actually has to offer.