Slashdot Mirror
Zotob Worm Hits CNN and Goes Global
securitas writes "The Zotob MS05-039 worm mentioned on Slashdot last Sunday may be the most recent virus that has gone global, hitting Windows 2000 desktops at CNN, ABC, the New York Times, and many others. The virus is spreading around the world rapidly as compromised systems become bots and propagate the worm, with reported outbreaks in Germany and China. InformationWeek has a decent article titled Zotob Proves Patching "Window" Non-Existent. Microsoft calls it a "low impact" threat and tells you What you should know about Zotob. Symantec has W32.Zotob.D removal instructions. Trend Micro thinks that this is a new, different worm altogether and says it is one of the fastest-spreading infections in history."
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
hitting Windows 2000 desktops at CNN, ABC, the New York Times, and many others.
Hm, must be a Karl Rove plant.
Or else it's just another victory in the GWOT?
Fuck it
... though a full upgrade to "X-windows" seems to avoid most viruses.
"Gives a remote attacker full control over the compromised computer to perform various actions, including:
..."
Downloading and executing files
Making queries to www.google.com
Making queries to google? Sounds like a very round-about way to search google. What is the purpose of this?
Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what's right. --Isaac Asimov
...1000 apple computers were sold in Henrico County, Virginia today...
Those wild and crazy mac rioters
A fine is a tax you pay for doing wrong and a tax is a fine you pay for doing all right.
What virus?
Appalling security for these folks. Bucket-brigade virus infections. Now you know how to take one of these orgs out - drop a nasty on the lobby jacks.
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
That's why I keep saying, "Linux is still not ready for the desktop."
I've come up with an awareness slogan to help us remedy the situation: "It's not the applications, it's the infections."
"Kittens give Morbo gas!"
Actually the current threat level of the worm is light fusia. However, experts are predicting it might go to dark fusia by tonight.
I work in an AOL call center and we run Windows 2000. We are taking almost no calls and almost all of our computers are down.
I'm glad you found one of the few that is working so you could post to Slashdot.
So it has hit CNN, ABC, the New York Times. Obviously this worm is part of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy!
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
so Microsoft will just go "You should of updated". ... and then the grammar nazis will descend upon them like hawks.
Your ideas intrigue me, sir, and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
that was the intended affect...
We can't stay on yellow for ever.
US Department of Homeland Security thinks so...It's obviously a low impact worm. It invaded the CNN network and Miles O'Brien is still on the air.
It could have done us all a favor, and infected Fox's network.
Where I work, we have classes. And the instructor takes his notebook out and hooks into the network, pulls his powerpoint. During the class a window pops up... Oh, he says, its just a virus, it pops up from time to time, and procedes to reboot and keep going.
After class the computer goes back in the bag for a month, as he has a desktop in his office. The virus hibernates....
Our IT folks must love this..
God save us from the fury of the Winged Grammar Nazis of Dreldarion!
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
"CNN's network admins suck."
"grammar nazis"
Heil Webster!
Yeah, no kidding. Obviously the guys who wrote zotob don't know what they're doing, because we haven't seen a single infec@#@)!!)@$ NO CARRIER
Use 'slashdot stuff' in the subject line in any email you send me if you want to get past the spam filter.
Microsoft, a few days ago: "Worms are coming. Here's the patch. Secure your systems."
NYT/CNN/ABC: "Yawn. We don't see any worms. Stop trying to scare us. It's acceptable to lose a few LANs so we don't have our right to pr0n infringed, or something."
Today: Worm hits.
NYT/CNN/ABC: "It's Karl Rove's fault!"
FOX: "Our networks are fine. Who's the dumbass now?"
Microsoft: "Good thing people too stupid to run Windows Update are also too stupid to run Linux."
From Microsoft's info page:
Customers who believe they have been attacked should contact their local FBI office or post their complaint on the Internet Fraud Complaint Center Web site.
Ummm...
"Hello, FBI? Yeah, hi. This is Pat. Listen, I've noticed my computer has been running a little slow lately. Yeah, more so then usual... Well, I heard about this new worm virus on the news... Yeah, I know I should run a virus scanner... Yes, I'm aware that the FBI does not troubleshoot and provide support for PCs... No, I don't expect you to launch a huge investigation because I suspect I *might* have been infected... Of course I'm aware that even if I was infected, there's really nothing the FBI can do about my particular case. . . . What do you mean 'Why am I calling you'?? Microsoft said I should!!"
The Internet is generally stupid
"Do you know how long it took me to get my video editing box's stable"
You keep your video editing box in a stable?