Slashdot Mirror
As World Reacts To WanaDecrypt0r, Microsoft Issues Patch For Old Windows Systems (bleepingcomputer.com)
An anonymous reader quotes the AP:
Teams of technicians worked "round the clock" Saturday to restore hospital computer systems in Britain and check bank or transport services in other nations after a global cyberattack hit dozens of countries and crippled the U.K.'s health system. The worldwide attack was so unprecedented that Microsoft quickly changed its policy and announced that it will make security fixes available for free for older Windows systems, which are still used by millions of individuals and smaller businesses. [Windows XP, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2003]
An anonymous reader writes: The patches are available for download from here. Microsoft also advises companies and users to disable the Windows Server Message Block version 1 protocol, as it's an old and outdated protocol, already superseded by newer versions, such as SMBv2 and SMBv3... Microsoft had released a fix for that exploit a month before, in March, in security bulletin MS17-010 [which] included fixes for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2016.
Below the fold are more stories about the WanaDecrypt0r ransomware.
An anonymous reader writes: The patches are available for download from here. Microsoft also advises companies and users to disable the Windows Server Message Block version 1 protocol, as it's an old and outdated protocol, already superseded by newer versions, such as SMBv2 and SMBv3... Microsoft had released a fix for that exploit a month before, in March, in security bulletin MS17-010 [which] included fixes for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2016.
Below the fold are more stories about the WanaDecrypt0r ransomware.
- The Los Angeles Times says the attack "shows why Apple refused to hack terrorist's iPhone," and why Google, Apple, and Microsoft resist calls for backdoors. "Though the NSA hasn't confirmed it was hacked, the purported leak of its tools shows that even supposedly secret vulnerabilities can get into the wrong hands.... when flaws the agencies discover pose a threat to the nation's businesses and consumers, they should be forced to help secure systems."
- Science fiction writer Charlie Stross blogged a humorous take on the event, sharing a "Rejection Letter" from Reality Publishing Corporation that argues the plot of his newest thriller -- MS17-010 -- "does not hold up to scrutiny." (A government agency hoards known vulnerabilities about vital infrastructure, then suddenly loses control of them...)
- troublemaker_23 shares ITWire's call for a "public statement of contrition" from Microsoft, which reminds readers that "the ransomware and exploits are just the effects. The vulnerabilities in Windows are the cause."
- There's now a first-person account about the discovery of the kill switch, which insists that registering that domain "was not a whim. My job is to look for ways we can track and potentially stop botnets..."
- Slashdot reader Lauren Weinstein says some antivirus services (and firewalls incorporating their rules) are mistakenly blocking the kill switch's site as a 'bad domain', which allows the malware to continue spreading. "Your systems MUST be able to access the domain above if this malware blocking trigger is to be effective, according to the current reports that I'm receiving!"
They truly are a reborn company.
Am I safe to assume that since I don't have the Server Service or Workstation Service running that I'm safe from this particular exploit?
At my job we finished phasing out the Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 systems from the network last year, the few Windows 8 tablets we have in test are Windows 8.1, and everything else is up-to-date with the latest patches. While the rest of the world burned, it was a quiet Friday as everyone took off for the weekend..
For an ancient unsupported version of their product. Make sure you put that into your narrative.
Lots of people on the net would support the product, if Microsoft allowed them to.
The fact that it's unsupported is a dodge - in reality, Microsoft comes out with new products and forces people into them in order to make more profit.
And in this instance, the "forced upgrade" policy is causing people to die. it's completely unreasonable for people with expensive equipment running Windows XP to have to repurchase their hardware just because Microsoft wants them to spend another $100 for a new OS.
If the OS is truly obsolete and unsupported, Microsoft should release it into the public domain.
That's why I disabled Windows Update on them, because that situation was untenable. I tried many proposed fixes I found on different fora, but nothing worked.
Granted, they are relatively safe, because these installations only exist to provide me a Windows when I need one (read: next to never) and the rest of the network is Linux and BSD. Being task-oriented with use-cases that don't involve email and random surfing, they are quite a bit safer than your run-of-the-mill Windows 7 that suffer from eternal Windows Update runs.
Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
This internecine violence between kitchen appliances is sad to watch.
Ezekiel 23:20
The scan to folder functions on some copiers haven't upgraded their SMB yet, so they cannot save scans to folders without SMBv1. Your choices are get a new copier (or copier with different vendor), enable SMBv1 on the server (bad idea), or use FTP (bad but not as bad idea). I've come across servers that had SMBv1 enabled just for this. One copier vendor wanted major cash to get the latest firmware. WTF? I've had good luck with Toshiba and Xerox. Sharp and Ricoh can kiss my ass. Forums are filled with "techs" advising to enable SMBv1 on the server. Yikes!
This internecine violence between kitchen appliances is sad to watch.
That's why you have to keep the toaster far away from the microwave oven.
You have your computer set up to have 24/7 read-write access to your backup system?
Yeah, not a good plan.
FSB hits! FSB hits! Your democracy dies. Do you want your possessions identified?
As much as I like to complain about micro$oft, I'm hard-pressed to fault them for this event, and certainly can't fault their response to it.
I'd say most of the blame lies on the staff and, more so, the policies at the institutions where the event occurred. Government and healthcare orgs are notoriously slow to update mission-critical systems, and while some of this blame can be placed on their reliance on custom software built for old environments or a lack of funds for upgrades, at the end of the day all institutions had been given the same end-of-service deadline, and a majority of them cleared it.
Hospitals are far from the only organisation to rely on frequently-antiquated specialty software and embedded devices, but they are perhaps the most critical example.