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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...
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If our elected representatives no longer represent us, do we still live in a Democracy?
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