Microsoft: Separate trail led to second virus writer

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Yep, it really slowed 'em down, didn't it?

From a story at theregister.co.uk:

"By John Leyden
Published Tuesday 11th May 2004 11:32 GMT

"Copycat virus authors have released a pair of worms targeted at the same vulnerability in Microsoft's operating system exploited by the infamous Sasser worm.

"Undeterred by the arrest of Swen Jaschan in Germany last Friday, coders have released a new Sasser variant (Sasser-F) and the first worm in a new strain, Cycle-A. Both worms exploit a hole in Window's Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) component. Neither is spreading particularly widely and most AV vendors place them low on the peril index."

* * * * *

Yep, that reward system really works--about as well as Microsoft's OS security.

SOME HINTS FOR THE CLUELESS:

1. There are estimated by one security firm to be some 16 million people worldwide who have the means and motive to write Windows exploits/malware. If you think that arresting even 100 17-year-old scriptkiddies in Germany is going to amount to a tinker's damn to a few million others throughout Asia and the Middle East (in places well outside the jurisdictional sway of the West), you'd better snap to reality pronto.

2. For all the handwringing about scriptkiddies compromising a few hundred thousand Ma and Pa Kettle systems, the really nasty stuff you rarely read about on ZDnet (or anywhere else, for that matter). Really, really embarassing and alarming stuff that happens at U.S. defence contractors and law enforcement agencies and major financial institutions. You know--the types of things that would cause drastic stock plummets or investor pullouts or runs on banks or Congressional hearings if word leaked out to the street. Those kind of losses due to Windows malware you and I will not find the juicy details on until much, much later--if ever.

Posted by: Yen_z   Posted on: 05/11/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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