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NSA's DoublePulsar Kernel Exploit a 'Bloodbath' (threatpost.com)

msm1267 quotes a report from Threatpost: A little more than two weeks after the latest ShadowBrokers leak of NSA hacking tools, experts are certain that the DoublePulsar post-exploitation Windows kernel attack will have similar staying power to the Conficker bug, and that pen-testers will be finding servers exposed to the flaws patched in MS17-010 for years to come. MS17-010 was released in March and it closes a number of holes in Windows SMB Server exploited by the NSA. Exploits such as EternalBlue, EternalChampion, EternalSynergy and EternalRomance that are part of the Fuzzbunch exploit platform all drop DoublePulsar onto compromised hosts. DoublePulsar is a sophisticated memory-based kernel payload that hooks onto x86 and 64-bit systems and allows an attacker to execute any raw shellcode payload they wish. "This is a full ring0 payload that gives you full control over the system and you can do what you want to it," said Sean Dillon, senior security analyst at RiskSense. Dillon was the first to reverse-engineer a DoublePulsar payload, and published his analysis last Friday. "This is going to be on networks for years to come. The last major vulnerability of this class was MS08-067, and it's still found in a lot of places," Dillon said. "I find it everywhere. This is the most critical Windows patch since that vulnerability." Dan Tentler, founder and CEO of Phobos Group, said internet-net wide scans he's running have found about 3.1 percent of vulnerable machines are already infected (between 62,000 and 65,000 so far), and that percentage is likely to go up as scans continue. "This is easily describable as a bloodbath," Tentler said.

187 comments

  1. It's not a kernel exploit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    For fuck sake, can we please stop calling these things 'exploits' as if Microsoft had nothing to do with it?

    These are FEATURES, people...

    1. Re:It's not a kernel exploit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah that's the truth. Do you think it will ever change? Does open source OS's have the same problems? The only reason I like open source is that someone independent could look at the code to see if there are exploits. But it seems that all companies want to hide some aspect of their code to fend off competition. So we'll never get there.

      Also, it would be easy for code in the CPU to run and take over your machine and I doubt Intel or AMD or Apple or Broadcom etc. is going to open up all of their source code.

      So there it is: the computer creators spy on the computer users. Will it ever change?

    2. Re:It's not a kernel exploit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Become a creator and change it. Though I ll admit, if they let you... because if they are spying, it is to not let you compete. This cartel is not that bad at all because of the novelty of the WHOLE FIELD and SCIENCE, but risks giving it all to the luddite trashcan and Antiquity peoples when creators do not understand it is them who will resort to violence, not the real users! Which is why they may be spying among other ulterior motives... But you choose, design your processor and start programming it PER-FECT-LY...

  2. I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    company, and I think all of our Internet-facing Windows servers have been compromised. We do everything we can, but there's still processes that use tons of bandwidth with outgoing traffic that we can't stop.

    1. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

      Same here. Our Dell IDS records traffic with Canadian SINs, like SSNs bit they have a checksum, and we are leaking a lot of information from our Windows servers.

    2. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Same here. We record outgoing traffic, and our Windows servers keep getting rotted no make what we do. I even found my own social security number in the logs.

    3. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      At least it sounds like you're trying. My management doesn't care that all of our Windows servers seem compromised.

    4. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

      We monitor outgoing bandwidth, and our Windows servers use more than a thousand-fold than what we expect. They're obviously compromised.

    5. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As if Microsoft cares.

    6. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by ewhac · · Score: 5, Insightful
      ...I guess I have to be Doctor Obvious here:

      Why do you have Windows hosts on the public-facing Internet??? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT PROFOUNDLY STUPID THING?!???!?

    7. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Because Linux wouldn't boot and recognize the hardware properly?

    8. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Restore from the most recent backup of fresh images offline. Patch to the most recent security patch. Rollout ASAP.

    9. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because Brad Silverberg is our main investor, and he was head of Windows 95.

    10. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      After firing their QA, they proved they don't care.

    11. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would you say that when so many companies, like mine, think that if we can blame Microsoft then we won't be liable?

    12. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Same here. Management doesn't seem to care about problems, but instead only how they can blame. In our case, it is Microsoft.

    13. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would a public company use Windows Servers to offer information services the public?

      Might as well go full Amish if you call that "profoundly stupid".

    14. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by SharpFang · · Score: 1

      Jut claim NSA did it and you've been forbidden to elaborate.

      --
      45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
    15. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lots of companies do since we don't care about security.

    16. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They don't. We spend seven figures per year and can't even get a reply.

    17. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      MS Servers can be just as safe as any other server OS when configured properly. Poor server configuration and server management practices are not limited to the MS platform. Linux is in the same boat. Both OS's have the necessary resources to mitigate almost every exploit. If you do not take the opportunity to use these resources to harden your OS than you need to hire someone who knows what they are doing.

      And the people who released the NSA exploit tools better find a deep hole and crawl into it because the NSA is on the hunt. The should just pack up and move to Russia or take refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy before the NSA gets their hands on them. All the NSA needs to do is identify the employee who took the data. From there they can start moving up the chain of custody. Once they charge the employee under the Espionage Act he will divulge everything he knows. The US may even classify this act as an attack on US National Security which will give the NSA and any other intelligence agencies a whole different set of ROE.

      Disclaimer: If the US intelligence agencies have the abilities ascribed to them they should have no problem identifying the people who stole and published the data. However, if they do not identify the culprits what does it say about all the magical things they are capable of?

    18. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Excuse me, but you could put a 35 dollar raspberry pi as an inline firewall and essentially block the outgoing incoming traffic.

    19. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you mean you do everything you can EXCEPT patch!

    20. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Same here. We log the sizes of responses, but still see a hundred to a thousand-fold greater outgoing bandwidth.

    21. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by gweihir · · Score: 4, Insightful

      One reason and one reason only: It is cheaper. Well, it is cheaper in the short run. That is all management focused on the year's end bonus if often caring about. I see it all the time. But even used internally, Windows "servers" are a constant problem, they never can compete to UNIX on maintenance cost, flexibility and reliability and performance. Sure, they are cheaper initially, but you pay for that for a long, long time. It becomes grossly obvious when you have global changes, and the windows servers are _always_ those lagging behind or needing special exceptions and the like. Windows on the server is a "90% OS": It only has 90% of what is really needed.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    22. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And the people who released the NSA exploit tools better find a deep hole and crawl into it because the NSA is on the hunt.

      Ooh! I'm so scared! What are they going to do to me? Hit me with a DIMM? A pendrive? Being hunted by the Geek Squad. Information wants to be free. Freedom!

    23. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "MS Servers can be just as safe as any other server OS when configured properly."

      You know that you are old, when you are reading people writing the above, since forever.

      Usually after a fresh batch of windows exploits.

    24. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The shilling will continue until morale improves!

    25. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Same here. Our Dell IDS records traffic with Canadian SINs, like SSNs bit they have a checksum, and we are leaking a lot of information from our Windows servers.

      So good to hear from Another Satisfied Microsoft Customer. Be sure to buy them again, won't you?

    26. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not everyone who reports up the chain to Ft Meade has a pocket protector.

    27. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Post the destination IP of those outgoing traffic that you can't stop or it didn't happen. Won't the below firewall rule stop it on your router?
      # iptables -I OUTPUT 1 -s -d -j DROP

      like so:
      iptables -I OUTPUT 1 -s 192.168.xxx.xxx -d xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx -j DROP #let's drop outgoing packets to suspicious address

    28. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ooh! I'm so scared! What are they going to do to me? Hit me with a DIMM? A pendrive? Being hunted by the Geek Squad. Information wants to be free. Freedom!

      How does spending the rest of your life in solitary confinement sound? The United States has some nasty punishments for people it doesn't like. The supermax prison ADX Florence has been described by inmates who've done time there as a cleaner version of Hell. Just imagine spending the rest of your days in that hole and I think you wouldn't be laughing anymore and neither would these leakers because that's what they're going when the US Government gets their hands on them.

    29. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you want to get real work done you use windows and have it properly configured, if you want to mess about getting things to work and the thrill of saying you use some homebrew solution that takes four times as long to get working and then leaves you falsely believing it's more secure you use Linux, simple as...

    30. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If 3.5% of vulnerable Windows machines are infected 2 weeks after the tools were released to the world, it's obvious that this vulnerability has been in use for a while and not only by the NSA and friends (as another commented notes, at least the Russian hackers who released it and probably other hackers and the Russian state). Did the NSA notice the widespread use of 'their' exploit and keep it to themselves when it was compromising thousands of US servers?

    31. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Install an egress firewall and whitelist the traffic you really need.

    32. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, I guess we all need more ransomware and sensitive data dumps then.

    33. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      All the NSA needs to do is identify the employee who took the data.

      Sounds awfully easy, doesn't it?

    34. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      File a class action against the NSA. They've known of countless vulnerabilities and done NOTHING to protect us.

    35. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by thegarbz · · Score: 1, Informative

      Why do you have Windows hosts on the public-facing Internet??? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT PROFOUNDLY STUPID THING?!???!?

      Because the meme that security is gained by not using Windows is just that, and sensible people realise that just because it isn't Windows doesn't mean you're secure?

    36. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by vtcodger · · Score: 2

      Or you could save $35 and some labor costs by just unplugging the telephone company's data line. If you're willing to wait a while, don't pay the telco, and they'll unplug it for you.

      BTW, I haven't tried it personally. But I suspect that if the mystery traffic is on port 443 (HTTPS) and is intermixed with legitimate traffic, the Raspberry Pi may have some trouble distinguishing real from bogus. And we're all supposed to use HTTPS because it's secure, right?

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    37. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by vtcodger · · Score: 1

      "You know that you are old ..."

      Hell, man. I AM old. Heck, I can remember when they told me that I should switch to NT based Windows because it was much more secure than Windows 98.

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    38. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Haha that reply may have been relevant two decade ago

    39. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That command will totally work on windows servers

    40. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have known compromised servers still connected to the net? How about taking them offline one by one and reinstalling from scratch? How about starting now?

    41. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here come the fake stories. I bet your grandmother also uses mint and it isn't able to tell the difference.

    42. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > MS Servers can be just as safe as any other server OS when configured properly.

      No they can't because a) you don't get to decide what runs on them (can;t turn certain Microsoft services off) and b) You can;t turn off the telemetry.

      Microsoft powered machines are insecure by design.

    43. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 1

      By properly configured we can all assume you mean having the exploits properly installed? If you really believe what you just said I don't believe even janitorial work is a field for which you possess the requisite intellect.

      --
      Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
    44. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 1

      Great. Who said that again? Nobody here. What was said is you CAN properly secure a Linux server, but can NEVER properly secure a Windows one. The evidence of the latter part of that statement is everywhere. The evidence of the first part is an exercise for the reader.

      --
      Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
    45. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And your company has a responsibility to do something about it

    46. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's fedorable. Why on Earth would you recommend such an autistic solution for a business?

    47. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      Mint can definitely tell when my grandmother uses it.

    48. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      How do you spot the shill? They're full of shit and they modded themselves up from another account.

    49. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Doke · · Score: 2
      I've seen the "to get real work done you use windows" argument used rationally for jobs that require using windows-only desktop software like AutoCad. However, it's growing less and less true for any other desktop task. It's blatantly false for servers. Linux now massively dominates the server market, especially in supercomputing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      Windows was a cheap, low-end desktop OS, that has grown up enough for some people to try to use as a server. Commercial Unix is an expensive server OS, that has an add-on gui desktop interface since 1984 (long before windows existed). Linux is somewhere in between.

    50. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perfectly written by someone who's understanding of secure is next next next finish. There see. All done. Secure as an MS server. What an oxymoron... that dog OS has had more holes intentionally written into it for the NSA and billion dollar antivirus/malware markets than anyone who's even allowed to read it's code could ever be bothered finding. That's the thing when politics and money drive your product. It ain't no rocket science... what amazes me is the fools that actually believe they're safe at the hands of MS when exploit after malware after virus costs the companies that use it trillions each year, and that's without factoring in just the sheer loss of productivity while billions of computers continually scan harddrives to extinction while searching for the infections that've been allowed to infect on purpose. LOL. It'd be laughable if the end consumers (you and me) weren't the one paying the bills...

    51. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also, from observations, it seems when many companies go down the tubes, the top management folks get huge sums of money.

    52. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah? Try coercing a no connection from a laptop in W10. I cannot make the wifi led go off, but I am sure the first three days it was off and under control of the wifi software... Users will not want to mess with OSs, even power users prefer tweaking than flashing, etc.

    53. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not that easy. I think nearly sure that it is one of them who is heard in VOICES by outside people, and he would be the real intelligent person, not Arab, not Indian, not African, nor Oriental... It is outside people who spied through voices and got the keys to the door! Then distributed what they found. Maybe those guys should be living in the Moon or a space station to avoid that.

    54. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by sheph · · Score: 0

      This is simply inaccurate from a factual perspective. It takes no more time to stand up a Linux server than it does a Windows server. Both have exploits. Both are more insecure if not properly configured. The struggle I face in my organization is we want a company behind the software. It's management perception. For some reason they think because Microsoft is a company if something bad happens they can point back at Microsoft and say "hey, it's not our fault we took the defacto standard and got burned." Whereas if we use Linux it's "what dumbass manager approved that". It's not about one being better than the other. It's all corporate culture.

      --
      I don't believe in karma, I just call it like I see it.
    55. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by sheph · · Score: 0

      I think he was directing that towards those with an interest in security.

      --
      I don't believe in karma, I just call it like I see it.
    56. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's a captain, not a doctor.

    57. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by vtcodger · · Score: 1

      Just trying to point out that in many cases a simple firewall is going to block everything. (or maybe nothing). Either way it's more or less a waste of time and money. I would assume that anyone savvy enough to know they are sending out way more traffic than they should would have considered and rejected a firewall appliance within the first 10 minutes after deciding that they have a problem.

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    58. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      What was said

      What was said and what you think were said may as well have been in two different languages.

      I mean both comments were effectively two full sentences and yet what you think was said and what was actually said has the words "you" and "windows" in common.

    59. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by gweihir · · Score: 1

      Indeed. And apparently, the ones that caused huge losses for society and cost a lot of people their jobs are somehow regarded as above punishment.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    60. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 1

      So you are too stupid to understand that the same thing can be said in two different languages. Got it.

      --
      Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
    61. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by slashdotwannabe · · Score: 1

      Microsoft clearly hates ACs!

      --
      This comment is my opinion and does not represent an official position of Donald Trump or others I do not work for
    62. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your reading comprehension needs work.

      Where in the fuck did he say to run that on the Windows box?

      Hint: he fucking said "router" .

    63. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      If you think it's the same thing it's time to fire whatever translator or language teacher you had. Idiot.

    64. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... says the moron who thinks idiot is a complete sentence. That's precious.

    65. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think you know what "inline" means. Unless you meant adding a shitty USB dongle to the existing shitty USB nic on the pi.

      If you honestly think that is the solution for most businesses, I hope you are not in IT for your profession.

    66. Re:I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      tell your boss he's a stupid whore for using windows.

    67. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      act like a slave, get treated like a slave.

    68. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      Loser comment award.

    69. Re: I work for a medical billing software... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't understand why you were voted down. SIN checksums along with credit card checksums are a great tool to use to detect outgoing exploits.

  3. In the wild by DrYak · · Score: 1

    And you can expect to find it used in the wild in about a few seconds next...

    (At least, luckily it got discovered though public channels : It got published by shadowbrocker and got analysed by experts.
    So at least our sysadmin have heard about it.
    Security solutions vendor will try to get ways to detect and neutralize it.

    Imagine if instead it was discovered by a few blackhats who reverse engineered a sample, and decided to incorporate the technology into their exploits, without the information ever reaching the public).

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
    1. Re:In the wild by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Imagine how many things have been discovered by blackhats and we won't be finding out for years.

    2. Re:In the wild by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're too slow..... That's already happened. From that link:

      "The sheer number of computers infected with DOUBLEPULSAR is likely the work of amateurish hackers, experts said. ... The chances are none that all theses hosts [were hacked by] the NSA. It is effectively trivial to go compromise all these hosts with the flick of a wrist."

    3. Re: In the wild by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No need to imagine, that is our reality.

    4. Re: In the wild by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Leaks are the attacks. They have their minions in the wild waiting to execute. The leakers just raise the flag to start the bloodbath. Assange inadvertently helps them?

  4. If the NSA wasn't evil by Snotnose · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They would immediately tell Intel, Microsoft, and Mr Torvalds exactly what flaws they are exploiting so they could be closed. Instead, being the evil assholes they are, they won't tell anyone. Cuz we all know the NSA is smarter than the Chinese, Russians, and random hacker groups who exploit the same holes.

    I guess it's a difference of philosophy. I want my computing to be as secure as possible. The NSA wants to hack anyone's system at anytime.

    My philosophy is comment sense, the NSA's is pure evil considering it lessens my security.

    1. Re:If the NSA wasn't evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I would point out that there's a pretty subtle difference between the programmers and engineers that come up with this stuff, and the PHBs that tell them what to do.

      When you're using these tools to "fight evil", you're doing good work. When you've been fooled by someone into thinking that you're fighting evil when you're really doing nothing but ensuring slavery and starvation will continue in several third world countries for the next two generations, you're still doing good work, but the PHB that gave you the false evidence/orders to do so should go to prison.

    2. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by CAIMLAS · · Score: 2

      Ah, a "just doing my job" apologist...

      --
      ~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
    3. Re:If the NSA wasn't evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Here's some irony for you: The S in NSA stands for security.

    4. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If Microsoft weren't evil they wouldn't release such crap. It not like they can't afford to pay for a couple thousand engineer-years of testing and code review.

    5. Re:If the NSA wasn't evil by Billly+Gates · · Score: 2

      They would immediately tell Intel, Microsoft, and Mr Torvalds exactly what flaws they are exploiting so they could be closed. Instead, being the evil assholes they are, they won't tell anyone. Cuz we all know the NSA is smarter than the Chinese, Russians, and random hacker groups who exploit the same holes.

      I guess it's a difference of philosophy. I want my computing to be as secure as possible. The NSA wants to hack anyone's system at anytime.

      My philosophy is comment sense, the NSA's is pure evil considering it lessens my security.

      Wrong. The government is ordering to put the flaw in!! If Snowden is correct under the American Patriot Act they can arrest those who do not comply making their products with backdoors so the government doesn't have to get a court order.

      To me that is pure evil. You think Apple and Android LOVE putting in hidden apps that secret turn your phones into recording devices that send the GPS and conversations wihtout you knowing while appearing off?

    6. Re:If the NSA wasn't evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You want them on that wall, you need them on that wall! Better the NSA instead of the KGB

    7. Re:If the NSA wasn't evil by gweihir · · Score: 1, Troll

      I do not see that difference. Engineers and coders that decided to work for the NSA are leaving their morality at the door when they come to work. They knew what the NSA was doing or they know now and have decided to stay. They are just as guilty as the ones taking the decisions.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    8. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by gweihir · · Score: 0

      Indeed. Same thing the KZ guards and those sending people there (often regular police) claimed.

      Evil on a large scale (and the NSA qualifies) cannot being done without large numbers of those willing helpers. They are the actual problem.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    9. Re:If the NSA wasn't evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good vs Evil aside, it's insane from a warfare point of view. The USA has incredible offensive cyberwarfare capability, but less than zero defensive capability.

    10. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That has more to do with the infrastructure of off the shelf software than anything.

      Honestly, most of the commerical IT security industry's solutions are akin to putting diapers on dogs that won't stop pissing and shitting all over the place.

    11. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It not like they can't afford to pay for a couple thousand engineer-years of testing and code review.

      Testing reveals the presence of bugs, never their absence.

    12. Re:If the NSA wasn't evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > The S in NSA stands for security.

      The question is, for whom?

    13. Re:If the NSA wasn't evil by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      They would immediately tell Intel, Microsoft, and Mr Torvalds exactly what flaws they are exploiting

      The NSA is an offensive organisation. Their purpose is not to allow you to provide yourself protection. There's nothing evil about it, just that your view of them is incompatible with what they are actually set out to do.

      The CIA on the other hand, they would have a good case for reporting such issues.

    14. Re:If the NSA wasn't evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well duh.
      What part of "No Security Anymore" gave it away?

    15. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      But he vas just following ohrdahs!

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    16. Re:If the NSA wasn't evil by chrish · · Score: 2

      It's No Security Anymore isn't it?

      --
      - chrish
    17. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well they are doing their jobs. Most people agree that we do need offensive sigint capabilities. If they did help get these flaws patched we would have fewer of them.

      Sorry but the answer is obvious here, we need to re-instate the bans on export of high strength cryptography tools and information. We need to restrict the export of high performance computing equipment again.

      Oh but you want a free an open internet where you can publish open source, commercially inter-operate easily with foreign partners. Sell software into an international market...blah

      Well that makes it much harder to align the NSA's necessary functions in with the interests of all citizens. You don't get to have it both ways. Globalism is destroying our nation.

    18. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 1

      So you don't get that there is no way to ban strong encryption because how to do it is widely known throughout the world and everyone already has the source code then? Crypto isn't guns. The bad guys already have an infinite supply of crypto.

      --
      Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
    19. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      ...but ensuring slavery and starvation will continue in several third world countries for the next two generations...

      That'll likely happen on its own anyhow; the real goal is to bring it about everywhere else.

    20. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      Yeah but that would be the rancher's security, not the cows'

    21. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On Slashdot you''ll always find lots of "technopragmatism" and self-superiors who haven't read anything but a man page for years. The same people who doggedly bemoan the humanities are not likely to provide its much-needed correctives.

    22. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by Doke · · Score: 2
      Banning crypto software and hardware exports was tried before, and didn't work (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_of_cryptography_from_the_United_States). It's far to easy to illegally export the code, or an algorithm, on a micro-sd card. It's easy to find loopholes in the law, by printing the code on a t-shirt or in book.

      Much of the code was developed outside the US. For example, AES was developed in Belgium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Encryption_Standard).

      Limiting hardware exports is also long obsolete, China now has the top two (publicly announced) supercomputers in the world (https://www.top500.org/lists/2016/11/). We don't knows what secret computers any government has, but that's irrelevant for export laws.

    23. Re:If the NSA wasn't evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Huh, more "comment" sense from Olgino, Russia.

      Without God, we invent him. I'd rather a Western-friendly God behind the levers of intelligence machinery than Trumputin's unqualified, incompetent, hue-challenged alternative.

    24. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      You're right, you don't have common sense, just comment sense. Saying NSA should report and close exploits they developed and need is a really, really stupid thing to say.

    25. Re:If the NSA wasn't evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      (Posted anonymously via anonymizing relays for obvious reasons.)

      You're assuming that the engineers in question work for the NSA, and they know what they're really being told to do.

      Admittedly, making cyber-weapons is different. However, I worked on some of the NSA's wholesale spying stuff, and I can honestly tell you that I found out at the same time that you did, when Snowden leaked it.

      This was multi-use technology. Some of our other customers were undeniably good public institutions in mind. I personally worked for a sub-sub-(several sub's)-contractor. It's fair to say that nobody who worked for my employer knew what was really going on.

      And before you tell me what I should or should not have known... my employer wasn't even in the United States. I won't say where, except to note that it was a "five eyes" country.

    26. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by Agripa · · Score: 1

      Banning crypto software and hardware exports was tried before, and didn't work (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_of_cryptography_from_the_United_States). It's far to easy to illegally export the code, or an algorithm, on a micro-sd card. It's easy to find loopholes in the law, by printing the code on a t-shirt or in book.

      Much of the code was developed outside the US. For example, AES was developed in Belgium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Encryption_Standard).

      Limiting hardware exports is also long obsolete, China now has the top two (publicly announced) supercomputers in the world (https://www.top500.org/lists/2016/11/). We don't knows what secret computers any government has, but that's irrelevant for export laws.

      Congress just needs to legislate harder.

    27. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      Ugh, what? The CIA is clearly a more offensive organization than the NSA. You don't hear about foreign entities complaining about NSA in their politics, they complain about the CIA. Colombia, Egypt, Syria, etc. All of these NSA programs are about extraction without detection. They're not trying to brick your device or leave a sign of being there.

    28. Re: If the NSA wasn't evil by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      It's not about who is offensive. It's about their primary mission. CIA's mission is to improve the safety and security of America through intelligence. The NSA's mission is to provide intelligence to the military and command.

      Of course you hear complaints about foreign agencies, but it's not foreign vs domestic which is the topic of discussion here, just: Disclose known issues that put Americans at risk, vs don't disclose. The CIA would have a mandate to disclose for the common good. The NSA would not.

  5. Blade style blood bath? by future+assassin · · Score: 1
    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  6. So, WHY does this REALLY occur? Ok... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: MS has contracts w/ gov't. - NSA says "You wanna keep 'em? Don't patch these 'backdoors' or else" & yes folks - THAT IS WHY IT GOES ON - it's always money (the root of all evil).

    * Same game corporatists pull on local state officials like Governors or Senators - we don't buy plant/property/equipment - we LEASE so we can take off on your ass whenever we wish - so, do you THINK you'll get reelected IF YOU DON'T DO AS WE WISH? Guess again, when 10,000++ of your constituents lose jobs when we make you be OUR GOOD MONKEY stooge (& you WILL do as we say).

    APK

    P.S.=> "Welcome to the REAL world, Neo" - the answer to 99/100 questions? The "Unholy Dollar" - follow the money... apk

    1. Re:So, WHY does this REALLY occur? Ok... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh fuck someone let raving paranoid nutjob APK out of the assylum again.

    2. Re:So, WHY does this REALLY occur? Ok... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is that the best you've got? Hilarious fail for you.

    3. Re:So, WHY does this REALLY occur? Ok... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure his hosts file program actually installs DOUBLEPULSAR.

    4. Re: So, WHY does this REALLY occur? Ok... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, despite the paranoia, he's on track. The best backdoors are designed with plausible deniability as a primary feature. Convoluted code blends in convoluted code. Try coding exploits inside otherwise functional code for a few months. If you have any talent at all, I guarantee you will discover how stupidly easy it is to disguise malicious code as 'mistakes'.

    5. Re:So, WHY does this REALLY occur? Ok... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If only there was some shitty program that could update some file on our computer to protect us from this!

  7. Methodology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Usually this kind of stuff is delivered by first monitoring your IP address for your search terms. Then, in your future searches they replace the URL link returned in the search results with a link to the malware and when you click the link: baam! you are infected...

    1. Re:Methodology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      when you click the link: baam! you are infected...

      Only if you're foolish enough to run random javascripts or execute executables you downloaded from the internet.

      Not begging to be exploited certainly helps your odds.

    2. Re: Methodology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not if it's an MITM attack and have the private keys necessary. They can just rewrite the source HTML or just route you to their host and you're none the wiser.

      Disabling JavaScript can help, sure, but it's absolutely not a fixall for shit like this.

    3. Re: Methodology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your scenario would require DNS hijacking or a MITM attack of some sort. Also, the assumption that said browser isn't sandboxed, let alone whitelisting javascript.

    4. Re: Methodology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, that's right.

    5. Re: Methodology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Disabling JavaScript can help, sure, but it's absolutely not a fixall for shit like this.

      True. Aside from half the websites not working without this cancer upon humanity.

  8. Lol, NSA is f'd, and Windows is even more f'd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is easy to be a an arm chair quarter back, but.... Anyone with half a brain knew this would happen eventually. There do exist moral people, some dumb ones, some smart ones. In the former case stupidity trumps crooks all the time.

  9. this highlights the problem with avoiding win(N+1) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When MS introduces spyware or malware into the OS such as with win10, people say, "no problem, i just won't update to that."

    But eventually whatever you are running (assuming Windows for the purpose of discussion) will be obsoleted and no longer getting security fixes. You will be vulnerable to an ever increasing amount of exploits like this.

    So yes, you can use Linux which is free to update. But if the entire non-technical world shifts to Linux, how long do you think it will be any better security than Windows is? The pressure to comply with the wishes of the masses will be overwhelming, and it will grow its own set of problems coming from trying to endlessly simplify it so the PHB can use it. It will have security exploits injected in very non-obvious ways by "contributors", who unbeknown to anyone are on the NSA payroll. (If that hasn't happened already...)

    You can't avoid this by staying behind.

  10. What do we use to scan for it? by brxndxn · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What do we use to scan for this exploit being present on our servers and networks? With the nature of the work I am in, I connect to a lot of different client networks with admin access.. I remember with Conficker, there was a Professor's website that basically listed all sorts of information about it and how to mitigate the problem. It resulted in a lot of consulting hours for me since I read all about it and was able to completely remove it whereas previous IT people just ran a scan and removed what it found only to have a later version of Conficker installed a day or two later. This seems like another one of those opportunities..

    --
    --- We need more Ron Paul!
    1. Re:What do we use to scan for it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      > What do we use to scan for this exploit being present on our servers and networks?

      1- Go to each server, and run:
      2- uname -r

      If you get a result that displays a valid kernel, you are safe. If you are infected, it will say:

      'uname' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

      3- If you are infected, you can follow the cleaning steps here:
      http://www.tecmint.com/fedora-...

    2. Re:What do we use to scan for it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      I get 4.4.0-43-Microsoft on Windows 10 Creators Update :-p

    3. Re:What do we use to scan for it? by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Try a lot of different AV products from the US, EU, Russia, Japan long term depending on what can be used on a network.
      Be unexpected and random with different AV products.
      Someone will have just the right kind of behaviour software update that might find something.
      Try the new tools some security experts are now offering to help with todays issues.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    4. Re:What do we use to scan for it? by gweihir · · Score: 1

      I would mod this "Funny", but I have already commented. Sorry ;-)

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    5. Re:What do we use to scan for it? by brxndxn · · Score: 1

      You had me going.. my first thought was 'Okay.. this guy made a joke to say I gotta switch to linux or I'm infected.' But then I thought 'Oh wait.. Doesn't Windows 10 have a built-in bash now? I better research this.' Then.. Google.. they're in on it.. and it basically looks like 'uname' should be a built-in Windows 10 command from the results. So anyway.. 5 minutes I can't get back. You got me.

      --
      --- We need more Ron Paul!
    6. Re: What do we use to scan for it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you miss the part where the info/code is publicly available? Did you also miss the part where MS released patches in March?

      Try leveraging Shodan for a start.

    7. Re:What do we use to scan for it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is an nmap NSE that can be used to scan for Doublepulsar located at https://nmap.org/nsedoc/script... . The best way to stop quite a few of the Shadowbroker vulnerabilities such as Eternalblue is to download the most recent Microsoft patches.

    8. Re:What do we use to scan for it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > 3- If you are infected, you can follow the cleaning steps here:
      > http://www.tecmint.com/fedora-...

      But now your servers are infected with systemd (poetteringware), and that's much worse than all the Conficker worms or Russian hackers in the world!

    9. Re: What do we use to scan for it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      https://github.com/countercept/doublepulsar-detection-script

      https://zerosum0x0.blogspot.ca/2017/04/doublepulsar-initial-smb-backdoor-ring.html?m=1

    10. Re:What do we use to scan for it? by Dwedit · · Score: 2

      Having mingw, msys, and cygwin installed, I actually get results for the uname command.

    11. Re:What do we use to scan for it? by DarkOx · · Score: 1

      use the metasploit framework. Its already got code to test this exploit, and the many eyeballs on it probably make it the safest bet among hackers tools for not having anything in it that should not be there.

      --
      Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
    12. Re:What do we use to scan for it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good thing you got paid to "consult" while following someone else's directions.

  11. Re:this highlights the problem with avoiding win(N by sgage · · Score: 1

    I think it's about time for the Butlerian Jihad ;-)

    Seriously, every new technology just gives greed and hate more power. There seems to be nothing anyone can do about it, which baffles me. Why can't they catch ransomware assholes and throw them into jail for a long long time? They can do anything else but catch the bad guys. WTF - must be no MONEY in it. MONEY MONEY MONEY. That's the only arbiter of anything in our broken 'culture'.

  12. "gives you full control over the system" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    We've been asking for this ever since Windows 10 was released. Someone should develop and release an adaptation for regular users who want to take control of their own computers back.

    1. Re: "gives you full control over the system" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Kind of like how rooting Android is considered 'hacking'?

  13. The actual analysis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Took me a while to find. They misspelled the name 'Dylan'. The link to the analysis is here:

    https://zerosum0x0.blogspot.co...

  14. Re:this highlights the problem with avoiding win(N by AHuxley · · Score: 1

    The US and UK security services have had a few options to get standard OS, hardware and set crypto accepted by most users over most decades.
    International standards. Banking and payments, mil, police cooperation, educational grants and charity.
    Get a free US computer system with working crypto for a nation that can link to the world.
    If a nation wanted to network it would have to accept some US backed crypto, software, crypto and OS.
    Cost could be kept very low or products offered as part of deals, charity or some common need.
    Often full of trapdoors, backdoors or just junk crypto that would allow 5 eye nations in.
    The 1980's saw a change to the desktop computer and a lot of new OS backed by different nations. A nations own software and very different OS designs and even some good crypto.
    All that had to be corrected until most of the world returned to US backed OS, US standard crypto and hardware.
    Mobile phone, smartphones always had police tracking, logging by design as connected to any telco globally.
    The other trick to is out price any emerging crypto standard that might work.
    US and UK backed standards become free with the weak crypto. The good private sector crypto that works is priced out of the market or "proved" in some tech media review not to work. Hard to make money when junk crypto is free with the OS, network or hardware.

    The use of open source is not an issue to the security services. The international crypto standards are set, the end users use US operating systems and networks.
    Why bother with open source when the crypto standards are weak, the enduser device is junk or the global telco network is able to track all use?
    The NSA and GCHQ are using the same methods to work around Linux as they did emerging 1980's OS in different nations.
    Just push any international standard over open source efforts. Once the user has to install software, hardware to "network" "share" "work as a server" "chat" "VOIP" or "encrypt" on set standards the OS is not an issue.
    Plain text and collect it all is the result wanted.
    Study how the UK and US spy. The plain text, bulk collection for later language translation and sorting.
    Consider France into the 1950's. All of Frances embassy codes and spy work was been collected in plain text by the US and UK.
    France understood all its spies could not have been turned globally on average. Its embassy staff around the world passed loyalty tests as expected.
    All the information kept on flowing out. Finally France looked at its secure telco and crypto hardware and found plain text end to end the issue.
    1920's, 1940's, 1950's, 2015 collect it all in plain text and sort has always been the preferred method.
    Two methods can help. Fill any public network with junk files, work, fictional projects. Pure internal fiction thats updated everyday with real meetings, movements.
    An internal project hinted at may not exist but everything around the project looks real to an outside observer using a network to spy.
    Option two, go for the vault, paper and typewriter, no smartphone, no networked watch, no desktop computer in the vault. Very hard work to run a company of any size but the very best new ideas are kept a bit more secure for longer.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  15. TCP port 445 screening, Metasploit, Alert Logic by raymorris · · Score: 3, Informative

    A first-pass screening test is to see if TCP port 445 is open. Most hosts will have 445 blocked by the firewall, thereby providing a degree of protection for the vulnerable SMB.

    If 445 is open, that does not mean the host is compromised, but it is likely to vulnerable. This Metasploit module is one check that can be run:

    https://github.com/rapid7/meta...

    More information can be found on the Alert Logic blog and our various teams will continue to post there and elsewhere as more information is made available.
    https://www.alertlogic.com/res...

    I know Alert Logic has other resources posted elsewhere, but unfortunately I don't know the exact URLs off hand. My team sends technical details to another team, who aggregates it with information developed by other teams, then they forward it to the PR people who post it for you to read, with other, more detailed information provided to customers. So personally I only know where I send the information internally, but not where you can read all of it.

  16. MS08-067 Still Out There? by aster_ken · · Score: 4, Informative

    Who the hell is still using operating system software that hasn't been patched since October 2008? And even then, only one of the affected operating systems (Windows Server 2008) is still receiving security updates. If there are public-facing Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 machines still in the wild, I'd go so far as to say those companies deserve to be compromised.

    1. Re: MS08-067 Still Out There? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That attitude is no more acceptable than the current software infrastructure that allows this to even occur. Sadly, clusterfucks like this will become increasingly common. Perhaps it won't be very long until you eat your own words.

    2. Re:MS08-067 Still Out There? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who the hell is still using operating system software that hasn't been patched since October 2008? And even then, only one of the affected operating systems (Windows Server 2008) is still receiving security updates.

      Tiny companies who now regret buying into Windows Server. To "upgrade" to a "modern" OS will cost them thousands of dollars- not just in M$ license, but new hardware (for sure), and dozens of IT hours to configure the new server, re-install database, application servers, etc. Oh, that's right, the M$ migration assistant is foolproof.

      Seriously, this whole thing just pisses me off. It should be illegal to sell a product with security holes. Even if we accept that it's difficult to write minimally buggy code, at the very least it should be "supported" forever. If you don't like those terms, move into some other career and let us who want clean code to be the "best practice". Someone named Linux Torvalds felt this way 30 years ago and did something to make the world better.

      If there are public-facing Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 machines still in the wild, I'd go so far as to say those companies deserve to be compromised.

      I would really love to understand the arrogant rudeness behind the too-frequent comments like yours. Do you own M$ stock? Why would you want to defend a company who sells a broken product, then does some meager patching, then eventually tells you you're at fault and you need to pay much $ and buy a new one? Please someone tell me why any IT professional has this attitude.

    3. Re:MS08-067 Still Out There? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anon because I modded.

      I think it is safe to say that an unpatched public facing LAMP stack from 2008 is as vulnerable as an unpatched Windows stack from 2008. Well probably not, but both will be very vulnerable to a ton of shit. For better or worse, ALL public facing software gets vulnerabilities over time and needs to be patched or upgraded. Not doing that for almost 10 years borders on criminal negligence. As for needing new hardware: if you still run hardware after 10 years and you have no plans to maintain / replace it over 10 years, you're equally stupid.

      You're throwing linus's name out there as if he is the savior, but 10 years ago I think we were still deploying 2.4 and I think that you would fare VERY badly if you still had a LAMP stack based on that release facing public.

    4. Re:MS08-067 Still Out There? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The same people who don't upgrade their $10 locks and get broken in because of it while the being denied compensation due to non-compliance with the terms of insurance.

    5. Re: MS08-067 Still Out There? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Life is hard; it's even harder when you're stupid.

      I would say they deserve it also. Not because I wish them ill, but they make life unnecessarily difficult.

    6. Re:MS08-067 Still Out There? by budgenator · · Score: 1

      You would be amazed at how many pieces of mission critical software will only run on Win2008 or WinXT. Small shops can't always afford to drop $50K on new hardware, that has the new software that runs on Win10 or Win2012; not to mention another $50K for new clients and server.

      --
      Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
    7. Re:MS08-067 Still Out There? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      . If there are public-facing Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 machines still in the wild, I'd go so far as to say those companies deserve to be compromised.

      And I suppose anyone who didn't change all the locks on their doors to "bump key" resistant ones deserves to be robbed?

    8. Re:MS08-067 Still Out There? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even if it's mission critical, it doesn't need to be on the public internet. We run a lot of obsolete OS's, but not on the public internet.

    9. Re:MS08-067 Still Out There? by ausekilis · · Score: 1

      Who the hell is still using operating system software that hasn't been patched since October 2008?

      ATM's still run Windows XP, many Point of Sale systems too. If you've ever paid close attention in a doctor's office, the computer they are running is very likely XP, maybe Vista or 7. Hardware-controlling computers may even go back to Windows 98 due to their ability to read/write directly to hardware and do in-line controlling with ease.

      It's just not feasible to keep medical equipment up-to-date with the latest OS for various reasons, not the least of which is it's bundled as a unit and costs many tens (hundreds?) of thousands of dollars. Cost becomes non-trivial real quick.

    10. Re:MS08-067 Still Out There? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Windows Server 2008 R2 is receiving updates.
      Windows Server 2008 R1 isn't.

      One is Vista-based and the other is based on Windows 7. Yes, I know, it is confusing.

      2008 R1 is notable since it is the last server OS from Microsoft that supported 32-bit x86 CPUs.

    11. Re:MS08-067 Still Out There? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Forget Win98, we've still got MS-DOS 6.2 running on the computer controlling the hydraulic press. 98 has latency issues that keep the control software from reliably responding in time. DOS may not have been designed as a real-time OS, but it's not hard to turn it in to one.

    12. Re:MS08-067 Still Out There? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anon because my login here got hijacked and /. is pissy about giving it back, even though it's otherwise idle and I say it's mine.

      Anyway, I appreciate your thoughts but I'm not so sure. [I generally strongly dislike all the speculative philosophizing online but I'll break my own rule here] I don't have facts, but newer code (OSes, apps, runtimes, etc.) may bring in bugs that were not there in 2008. Just something to think about.

      Linux 2.4 was being updated until recently, IIRC. I did switch to 3.2x series a couple of years ago on one server (CentOS5.x), 4.x on others.

      I think in 2008 a Linux server was inherently more secure than a Windows 2003 or 2008 server.

      I know for a direct fact that WordPress had holes, but I was admining an older RH server that had a 2003 OS (RH 9) which I patched. It was being banged up constantly but nobody got in. An old version of vsftpd would eat RAM and thrashing would commence. I quickly found the patches (in spite of RedHat's abandonment of the OS) and the server never hiccuped- ran for years until the MB died early 2016. (The owner is stingy; tiny business- it's now CentOS 6.x with kernel 4.x- very very happy machine).

      I still run XP on many of my computers, with POS updates, which keep coming, but are smaller and fewer than win7, and much much smaller and much fewer than win10. No problems. Sure, some older code is more vulnerable, but it seems that most newer code is MUCH more vulnerable.

      I'm running Vivaldi on win7 on one machine- all patched up well, several blockers active. I had visited a slightly questionable site a couple of months ago, after which I cleaned caches, cookies, etc. A day or so later noticed some network activity- I keep a net monitor running. Ran smsniff to find some kind of browser plugin had self-installed, but you could not see it in the plugin list. Had to use debugging tools to even find it. To be safe I deleted all Vivaldi stuff and re-installed from scratch. Real nice- these new fancy browsers allow all kinds of malicious code because they push features out much faster than safety. Oh, lets patch things later. Lets make safety watcher modules, rather than inherent safe design. Ugh! I mostly use Old Opera- try getting your tricky javascript hijack into that browser.

      New code = more holes.

      Part of my thinking (speculating?) is based on the observation that generally in today's mostly capitalistic world, things are being made cheaper and cheaper. It's not stopping. I have not seen the bottom of the quality barrel, not in any product, physical, software, etc. Nobody seems to really care. Features and flashy is much more important than solid quality products.

  17. The NSA is smarter than who? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wasn't aware that intelligence (in the cognitive sense) had anything to do with nationality. The NSA is certainly better funded than the FSB and enjoys better access to communications given the US' status as the defacto internet hub (although that's change) but "smarter"... no. The US and Russia (nee' USSR) have been equal sparring partners in the intelligence game for a long time.

  18. Turgid prose by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Someone at Threatpost has been watching too much Mr Robot.

  19. Russia has those exploits too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Postulate:
    1. these leaks are part of the same group from Russia hacking the US we've been seeing out of Wikileaks.
    2. Ergo Putin has all these holes already, has already been exploiting them, and thus has access to any passwords and critical security systems connected to those exploits.

    Postulate 2:
    1. Putin's hackers also have access to any current NSA secret zero -day exploits, because when Trump got into power and he sent his men into the CIA and NSA, shortly after, Putin arrested some of its people for treason. These were believed to be the leakers of the Trump memos. Putin got those names from somewhere and Trump's group seems the likely source given the timing and his 'special' help in the election.
    2. So if NSA and CIA cannot protect their secrets from Trump's group, they cannot protect any zero day exploits they have now.

    As ever, the fix is open source, vet code carefully, don't put critical info on internet facing servers. Don't connect critical systems to open networks.
    There are no good guy only backdoors, close all those backdoors. A good guy group is only one Trump away from being turned into a bad guy group.

    1. Re:Russia has those exploits too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i would rather be masturbating, but here i am patching this shit, thanks obama

  20. Good news is the NSA can be prosecuted, and made t by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This kind of problem is inevitable, when the apparatus of state has been rogue, for as long as the US military establishment. At least they can be brought to justice in courts across the world for their criminal activity.

  21. "This is easily describable as a bloodbath," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Of course it isn't *sigh*

  22. Windows 7: How do I check if I got the fix? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I didn't apply Windows Updates in March -- but I checked for new updates a week ago, and four security-related updates were downloaded and installed. The one update which seems which it might include the March fix is the following:

    * April, 2017 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB4015549)

    But... When I look at the details for that update, and try to find all of the updates which that rollup might include, I cannot find mention of "MS17-010" or "4013389".

    How can I determine whether the April rollup mentioned above has the fix? And if I didn't do any updates in March, and I only did updates in April, can I expect that I would get whatever security updates to date that were missing from my system?

    I would be grateful for feedback !

    1. Re:Windows 7: How do I check if I got the fix? by ChoGGi · · Score: 1

      If you have the April rollup installed then you have the March one installed. Microsoft doesn't let you pick and choose when it comes to the (cumulative) rollup updates.

  23. Use Linux servers? by TheOuterLinux · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Seriously, why do people even use Window$ on servers? Any real advantage to it? It's not like the command line dark ages anymore with Linux to figure out how to do it. Tons of videos on how to set it up too. And if you want, you can set it up graphically and then run it without graphics to save resources.

    1. Re:Use Linux servers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Seriously, why do people even use Window$ on servers? Any real advantage to it? It's not like the command line dark ages anymore with Linux to figure out how to do it. Tons of videos on how to set it up too. And if you want, you can set it up graphically and then run it without graphics to save resources.

      Exchange, MSSQL, LDAP servers, .NET services, BI tools, SAP.

      When people get out of their garage, they find people have actual business needs that aren't met by KOffice or vim.

    2. Re:Use Linux servers? by thegarbz · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Seriously, why do people even use Window$ on servers?

      There are plenty of serious answers to this question but ultimately they're unlikely to be understood by someone with a mentality that extends to calling a product "Window$" and thinking they are clever.

      Tons of videos on how to set it up too.

      Ladies and gentlemen: How to setup an insecure facing internet server 101: Let's not have a clue and follow some video tutorial! Now I know where the $ came from, it's all the money that will be stolen from any server set up by those who follow your expert advice.

    3. Re:Use Linux servers? by coofercat · · Score: 2

      Ladies and gentlemen: How to setup an insecure facing internet server 101: Let's not have a clue and follow some video tutorial! Now I know where the $ came from, it's all the money that will be stolen from any server set up by those who follow your expert advice.

      I think what you're describing is exactly how this came about in the first place. Even a modicum of firewalls and proxies would mitigate most of the attack vectors for this exploit, yet we see lots of infections. That sounds like lots of people set things up without properly understanding them.

    4. Re:Use Linux servers? by ausekilis · · Score: 1

      oh you mean like the RHEL enterprise license my work has?

    5. Re:Use Linux servers? by TheOuterLinux · · Score: 1

      The videos are just to get you started. IT people hate it when you use anything other than Window$, yeah I'll do it again, because they would be out of a job without it. Linux forces users to be more proactive. If you blindly follow a video without knowing a little bit as to how servers or Linux works, of course that could cause problems. But, you can be an expert with Window$ and still have more security issues than you will ever come across with a proper Linux setup; that's the beauty of TRUE open source and not the half-baked, hidden spyware kind Micro$oft pushes. If you don't like that fact, take it up with Red Hat; they're the best. If you setup using Ubuntu, then you probably a newbie. Besides, guess which company Canonical partnered with a few years ago? Just one of many reasons I stopped using Ubuntu.

      P.S. I take it you're a "gamer" or an IT guy because no one else gets offended by my spelling but those nut jobs. Apple people are crazy, but the Window$ equivalents love their Kool-Aid, if you know what I mean. Glutens for punishment if you ask me.

    6. Re:Use Linux servers? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      The videos are just to get you started.

      Except those videos are where it ends. We only just ran an article on security errors introduced through tutorials the other day.

      no one else gets offended by my spelling but those nut jobs.

      Oh I'm not offended, not in the slightest. I just happen to be over the age of 12 and draw instant conclusions into the maturity of people who find it funny to use misspellings in that way. Mind you it's quite fitting with your suggestion to start setting up something with a video tutorial.

      Tip for you: If you every come across the need to use a video tutorial even as a starting point, stop and hire an expert. Leave the video tutorials to the students learning about something.

    7. Re:Use Linux servers? by TheOuterLinux · · Score: 1

      But aren't we all students at first? I would rather be proactive than let someone else handle my system. By the way, I got a family member that was 12 when he started his first website and that was about ten years ago, and guess what? YouTube got him started. Now, he does IT work for doctors, manages a radio station, and is helping to construct a small hydroelectric dam; no college and only a single doctor above him (his boss) and no underlings to help manage the servers. So, I don't know what videos you been watching, but they do help. I think people get mad at YouTube because older guys had to pay to learn in school (some still do for whatever reason) with god-awful manuals. As for me, I built my own Linux distro, coordinated EEG research (my degree is in Psychology), and manage a website. So, you're not talking to a 12 year old or anyone like it. I say Window$ because it's fitting, not funny. The only thing it does better than other systems is games and emptying people's pockets. They're even building a laptop similar to Chromebooks soon. What kind of company sells $400, 1.2Gz, 4GB laptops (my guess specs and price) that you have to be connected to their servers and internet to run? I'm running a 32-bit PAE Linux kernel 4.10 on a 9 year old laptop with up to date software that never gets above 2GB in RAM anyway, even with heavy use (Firefox, Kodi, GIMP, LibreOffice, and PCSX running at the same time just to test). So, in my experience, it's all about the money. That's why I spell it the way I do. Most diehard Linux users do.

    8. Re: Use Linux servers? by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      Do you somehow think Linux isn't hacked daily? Have you looked at a yum/apt update for all their security updates? I've never been personally affected by a windows infection, but years ago we ran software that used JBOSS on Centos. Hackers used Google search alerts to find JBOSS servers and notify the hacker of vulnerable systems. That was brilliant. Low effort and detection.

    9. Re:Use Linux servers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      those aren't people. those are stupid fucking slaves who make sure freedom respecting projects don't get funded properly.

    10. Re: Use Linux servers? by TheOuterLinux · · Score: 1

      I'm not saying Linux is bullet proof but comparatively, I do believe it to be one of the safest options you can have because of how far you can go in customization. The problem with JAVA is that it's JAVA. That was in ~2006 though, and JAVA 8 isn't nearly as vulnerable as 6 was. Hackers were using JMX console and people weren't paying attention to file permissions. You could also use intitle:”JBoss Management Console – Server Information” “application server” inurl:”web-console” OR inurl:”jmx-console” to find servers. They call JBOSS "WildFly" now. You should check out a program called Lynis for looking at server security/Rootkits; they even make suggestions with links at the end. Fail2Ban helps a lot too with any brute force attempts. If you used Centos, you probably know this stuff, but I'm mentioning it just in case anyone else sees this. Also, I have grown to prefer zypper for package management over yum/apt. I'm not sure about the other managers (been a while), but zypper gpg checks all repos and checksums each package whether installing or updating. I gave up on Ubuntu and Debian. They're just too bloated and slow anymore to work on my machines.

  24. Here's the fix: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Spend the money you saved on Windows to fix the issue and double that until you're all good again.

  25. Re:this highlights the problem with avoiding win(N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ahh i see you are talking about systemd without talking about systemd, nice, nice

  26. Posting AC to avoid libel? Yes EAT YOUR WORDS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject & the fact that malwarebytes' folks verified my sourcecode as safe & so did VirusTotal https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/e01211ca36aa02e923f20adee0a3c4f5d5187dc65bdf1c997b3da3c2b0745425/analysis/1433430542/

    APK

    P.S.=> Tell us: How does EATING YOUR LYING WORDS taste? Like your FOOT in your MOUTH ramming them back down your throat washed down by the bitter taste of SELF defeat, you libeling little UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous weasel?? Yes... apk

  27. My program's done well... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm going to continue using the Host File Engine. Your software is well written, functional. The Host File Engine performs exactly as promised by mmell

    his hosts program is actually pretty good by xenotransplant

    his hosts tool is actually useful for those cases in which one does indeed want to locally block stuff outright while consuming minimum system resources by alexgieg

    I've never tried to belittle (APK's) work, I've flat out said it's good by BronsCon

    take a look at the APK hosts file engine by SuperKendall

    APK is kinda right. I've tried his hosts file generating software. It works by bmo

    I like your host file system by Karmashock

    I find your hosts file admirable by vel-ex-tech

    * My code's liked + recommended & hosted by Malwarebytes' hpHosts!

    APK

    P.S.=> Let see code from an UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous snide weasel like you do better... apk

  28. Unplug it? by Kludge · · Score: 2

    there's still processes that use tons of bandwidth with outgoing traffic that we can't stop.

    Unplug the computer?

  29. All part of the Hegellian Dialectic @ work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thesis vs. AntiThesis for "order out of chaos" (order ab chao) for those running the show via Jesuits @ the top - you see it in "democrat" vs. "republican" AND "islam" vs. "christianity" (what's taught to those who are 'cattle/goyim') to keep you fighting one another UNTIL you can't take it anymore & submit (to those that worship "the lightbringer" who wanted to be God, which IS their stated goal, that "Man=God").

    * Think that's what's NOT going on? Guess again - Jim Morrison said it best in "You're ALL slaves" & YES, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT (a giant mindgame to get numbers, tools/sychophants/bootlickers/cronies that are merely disposable cannon-fodder assets...) - we're ALL getting "played" & yes, playing ourselves falling victim to it (not me, not anymore, for decades now).

    APK

    P.S.=> IF I told you what's REALLY going on (I am, you dig up the details) & has been for MANY centuries? You wouldn't like it (two always, divided, for order out of chaos & even population reduction via wars etc. - political parties, religions (for the "dumb masses" NOT the reserved knowledge of "the ILLUMINATED") - Read Manley Palmer Hall OR Albert Pike, you get it, REAL fast... apk

    1. Re: All part of the Hegellian Dialectic @ work by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      I don't even know how someone can take this guy's lunch order.

  30. Major AV apps working on this??? by martinfb · · Score: 1

    Can anyone address as to whether any of the major AV apps (Norton, Kaspersky, Bitware, McAfee, ...) are working on finding/remediating this crap?

    --


    Self-importance and self-indulgence is the root of ALL evil.
  31. Re: We watch outgoing bandwidth like a hawk... by Brockmire · · Score: 1

    Are you fucking serious? You'd only get remotely hacked without a firewall protecting Port 445. The default firewall for public interface only allows remote traffic from local subnet. You should be fired for incompetence.

  32. Big Talking BROCKMIRE the BLOWHARD, lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Big Talking BROCKMIRE the BLOWHARD (wannabe expert w/ nothing to show) face the music you do nothing dildo https://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10554305&cid=54337959/

    * You little punk nobody "ne'er-do-well" zero...

    APK

    P.S.=> "The great brockmire" - FULL of HOT BLOWHARD AIR, no substance, hahahahaha (truer words were never spoken on slashdot)... apk