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Houston Courts Shut Down By Malware
Conficker is still at it: dstates writes "The municipal courts of Houston were shut down yesterday after a computer virus spread through the courts' computer systems. The shutdown canceled hearings and suspended arrests for minor offenses and is expected to extend through Monday. The disruption affected many city departments, the Houston Emergency Center was briefly disconnected and police temporarily stopped making some arrests for minor offenses. The infection appears to be contained to 475 of the city's more than 16,000 computers, but officials are still investigating. Gray Hat Research, a technology security company, has been brought in on an emergency contract to eradicate the infection. In 2006, the City spent $10M to install a new computer system and bring the Courts online, but the system has been beset by multiple problems. After threatening litigation, the city reached a $5 million settlement with the original vendor, Maximus, and may seek another vendor."
It's amazing what can happen when you "lose" a few dozen pen drives with downadup at various strategic places.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
I hear you have an opening...
Houston court (Your mums PC), was shutdown by malware, and Gray Hat Research (You) were brought in on an emergency contract (Called up from the basement) to eradicate the infection (reinstall windows XP)
Is Houston being smart by hiring a company called "Gray Hat Research"?
If our elected representatives no longer represent us, do we still live in a Democracy?
After threatening litigation, the city reached a $5 million settlement with the original vendor, Maximus
IANAL, but I suspect defending yourself in court against the city (with the city representing the court) could be difficult.
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
This story has nothing to do with Australia.
If I ever want to read about places besides Australia, I'll go to another site, thanks.
How much longer are we going to have to endure the non Australia-centric Slashdot?
Where the hell is kdawson?
Just write and spread malware that targets computers at the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice (along with everyone else's computers) on a date that's at some point into your sentence. Put code in the payload that searches for prison doors to open, in case we are infecting some controller they might be using. A long time ago before computers you had to tie four horses to the walls and bars of the jail and just try to pull the place apart without the ceiling collapsing on your friends' heads.
It's as if a thousand bureaucrats cried out "Houston, we have a problem" in terror, and were suddenly silenced.
"Houston, we have a problem..."
...Ducks... So sorry for that.
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
After threatening litigation, the city reached a $5 million settlement with the original vendor, Maximus, and may seek another vendor."
That's what happens when you buy your network from a vendor just because you liked their SimCity games.
I just have to make sure the court jurisdiction where I'm in trouble gets a major virus infection so that they suspend arrests for minor offenses (why are they making arrests for minor things?) and put off trials.
It's pure simplicity!
Disclaimer: The opinions and actions of the US Gov't are in no way representative of those held by this author or its ci
The mayor had just purchased a site license for AV360, this should not have happened... ahem. Wonder if they can cancel that check that they wrote with QuackBooks 2009 and the official letters sent out with EMESS Werd 2009... hmmmmm...
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. Emo Philips
rm -rf juryduty