Rootkit infection requires Windows reinstall, says Microsoft

Microsoft is telling Windows users that they'll have to reinstall the operating system if they get infected with a new rootkit that hides in the machine's boot sector.

A new variant of a Trojan Microsoft calls "Popureb" digs so deeply into the system that the only way to eradicate it is to return Windows to its out-of-the-box configuration, Chun Feng, an engineer with the Microsoft Malware Protection Center (MMPC), said last week on the group's blog.

"If your system does get infected with Trojan:Win32/Popureb.E, we advise you to fix the MBR and then use a recovery CD to restore your system to a pre-infected state," said Feng.

Unix based, immeasurably more “open source” and just as secure as Mac OSX.

There was a big stink a while back when an anti-Linux group tried to say Linux was based on UNIX, and thus stole from UNIX. They were wrong, of course. There are three basic ways something can be "UNIX" or "UNIX-like", which are code based, functional and certified. Linux has one, it functions like UNIX. OS X has all three, its code comes from BSD, it functions like UNIX, and it's certified UNIX. BSD is generally considered the most secure version of UNIX outside of mainframes, and it's what's in OS X. The security problem usually lies in all the layers above BSD, just as with Linux most of the vectors involve browsers, desktop managers or userland services.

Thanks for agreeing with one of my points.

Your point is valid right now, just not maybe next month. Different business practices create a moving window for comparison. BTW, you also can't build a Mac Pro as overall powerful as you can, say, a Dell workstation. The very high-end options just aren't available on the Mac, like a $7,500 dual Quadro graphics solution.

Another can of worms I’m sure but I prefer AMD for the same reasons I don’t prefer Macs.

I used to be an AMD fan, and have never bought a non-OEM Intel CPU, only AMD. But AMD fell behind after the Core 2. IMHO, Intel is where the value is at for now. That's my problem, I'm not loyal to anything. I'd ditch Apple too if they started making junk and the value was no longer there.

I used an old Compaq case and put the kids PC in a new fancy one to confuse a theif.

Cool idea. I have an old HP AMD 500 collecting dust, maybe I should re-do that as a file server. Nobody would expect I'd have it packed with several hundred dollars worth of 2 TB SATA hard drives.

The day Apple says its ok for PC users to put it on the PC I’ll try it for sure.

That's another place Apple and I disagree. I think it is an abuse of copyright to try to assert the post-purchase control they are attempting. Not only should they be barred from enforcing these terms, they should be sanctioned for the attempt at copyright abuse.

Hell I kinda like you. The old case idea worked for me once on accident. My house was robbed and out of 3 pc’s they left the oldest looking one and thank goodness it was the newest and only valuable one. Any theif knows an old PC when they see it. Done it ever since and its a hoot when someone says “man my old compaq didn’t run like this.” The older cases also seem to do well with the heat as they were intended for hotter systems, they have alot of room inside for the hd’s in the server, fit most newer mobo’s, the framing is always stronger and the whole retro thing is kinda neat. I added some status LED’s and the pins had to be changed for swithes and the like but all very easy to do. “Your point is valid right now, just not maybe next month.” That’s all my opinions probably, I thought Trump might be good news as an example. There are 3 reasons I still have windows at home, an older version of alldata (I paid enough over the years to keep it and its obsolete to the industry,) the kid’s games and my majic jack. I’ve tried to get the majic jack to run on linux but so far a bust. The games are numerous some could some would be impossible I expect but all together making them run on Linux a major chore. When the boy’s are ready I may make them as a training thing. The old alldata I can’t install its just there extracting an instalation would be beyond me its spread out evreywhere. I keep a copy of the c drive just incase it ever fails. When the need comes for my next PC I will take the time to compare AMD and Intel if Intel is better in value I would go that route but in the past I’ve had seen the CPU a good deal but the different ram requirement ate up that initial value. “The very high-end options just aren’t available on the Mac, like a $7,500 dual Quadro graphics solution.” I always understood this was a corner Mac owned solid hence the prevalence in graphic arts and visual media and I couldn’t put that card in anything either. Its been along time ago but I had a buddy (all linux nut) write a program that was a driving game that used 3 monitors, front and side views with the plan of adding the rear view. He was a HS grad but nothing else by way of training. I don’t know why but this has made me think of that. Oh yeah the point, his game was written on Caldera when windows 95 was out and video came from pci slots, that’s when I knew Linux was all that and decided to learn about it. I know Suse is a little gui’ey for Linux but I really like it with the KDE interface. It has vulnerabilities but I have yet to catch anything on it.

Hey we agree. Both are about equally secure or insecure, the only difference is which one is more desirable. In competition hackers will want the overpriced item, in the real world hackers will want the most users to get the most bang for their buck.

Not at all the same thing. You are assuming that everything else is equal and it is not. It is much easier to write malware for one platform than it is to write for the other... and that makes a big difference. That differential has made all the difference for the past ten years and continues to make a big difference in the choices the malware writers have made about which platform they write their malware for. The evidence for your position is entirely against it. We know the malware authors are willing to write malware for small demographic targets because they HAVE done so... and done so profitably... and we have posted numerous examples of their micro-malware efforts. They just have not been successful in writing malware for the very large Mac platform because it is difficult to do so.

As for Macs being overpriced, the price of anything is what a willing seller and a willing buyer are able to agree it's worth... and millions of transactions have established the price of Macs. Ergo, it is not overpriced. The value of the PCs have been established as well... very low.

so you’re saying that hack didn’t exist prior to the competition? Or was it there and it just wasn’t exploited in the wild? If so that leaves me leary about the secuirty of OSX. The chicoms don’t need to wait for a contest to hack computers.

Uh, how about it's a hack based on a REPORTED and DOCUMENTED vulnerability exposed by Apple in an update when it was CLOSED that makes it really easy for hackers for find a vulnerability to use??? The judges decided that the hackers could use the PREVIOUS version of the OS instead of the most recently patched... that's a really useful way of proving nothing and gaining hype for their conference.

Oh I see. When it benefits mac the argument counts. When it doesn’t benefit mac the argument doesn’t count.

I see how this is going. I’ll let you get the last word in as I know you won’t stop posting until you do. I think it’s obvious to the thinking people out there how obtuse you’re being.

Now go ahead and get the last word in...I know that makes you feel as if you made your point.

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