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'Witty' Worm Wrecks Computers
Washington Post ^ | 03/20/04 | Brian Krebs

Posted on 03/20/2004 5:09:50 PM PST by Salo

'Witty' Worm Wrecks Computers The worm targets Windows computers that run specific security firewalls.

By Brian Krebs washingtonpost.com Staff Writer Saturday, March 20, 2004; 7:02 PM

A quickly spreading Internet worm destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of personal computers worldwide Saturday morning by exploiting a security flaw in a firewall program designed to protect PCs from online threats, computer experts said.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Technical
KEYWORDS: blackice; computer; destructive; lowqualitycrap; malware; microsoft; realsecure; security; technical; windows; witty; worm
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Bad one. If you are running the affected products, patch now: this one is DESTRUCTIVE
1 posted on 03/20/2004 5:09:50 PM PST by Salo
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To: rdb3; Ernest_at_the_Beach; NormsRevenge; Bush2000; Nick Danger; ShadowAce
Pinging. If there are any tech-list managers I have missed, please ping them.
2 posted on 03/20/2004 5:11:16 PM PST by Salo (You have the right to free speech - as long as you are not dumb enough to actually try it.)
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To: Salo
Yet another Windows virus...
3 posted on 03/20/2004 5:11:48 PM PST by glorgau
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To: Salo
Thanks to Bill Gates.

When are these idiots name these things properly.

Not a computer virus, but a Micros*hit virus.
4 posted on 03/20/2004 5:12:33 PM PST by observer5
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To: glorgau
Not Windows. This time. ;-)
5 posted on 03/20/2004 5:13:30 PM PST by Salo (You have the right to free speech - as long as you are not dumb enough to actually try it.)
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To: Salo
BTTT
6 posted on 03/20/2004 5:14:38 PM PST by Fiddlstix (This Space Available for Rent or Lease by the Day, Week, or Month. Reasonable Rates. Inquire within.)
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To: Salo
What's the name of this worm? The excerpt doesn't say and I don't have the patience to write my autobiography for the
Post.
7 posted on 03/20/2004 5:15:12 PM PST by gitmo (Thanks, Mel. I needed that.)
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To: glorgau
Yet another Windows virus...

How do you figure that?

8 posted on 03/20/2004 5:15:29 PM PST by TomServo ("He's my mentor..he taught me how to truly love a woman..from across the street..through a telescope)
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To: gitmo
W32.Witty.Worm
9 posted on 03/20/2004 5:16:07 PM PST by willieroe
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To: Salo
What's witty about that?

If I were a virus writer, I'd just change a few numbers on spreadsheets and misspell words in some documents. They'd never suspect it was a virus, and wouldn't be able to figure out why they kept finding all those errors.
10 posted on 03/20/2004 5:17:11 PM PST by proxy_user
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To: gitmo
The worm is called "Witty". *VERY* Destructive. If you are running Black Ice or Real Secure Internet firewall products, patch. Now.
11 posted on 03/20/2004 5:18:45 PM PST by Salo (You have the right to free speech - as long as you are not dumb enough to actually try it.)
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To: Swordmaker
Dare I say it?
12 posted on 03/20/2004 5:18:57 PM PST by Woahhs
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To: Woahhs
Say what? This is *NOT* a Windows or Microsoft problem.

Dare I say it?

13 posted on 03/20/2004 5:22:11 PM PST by Salo (You have the right to free speech - as long as you are not dumb enough to actually try it.)
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To: Salo
At LEAST show what products!

The "Witty" worm writes random data onto the hard drives of computers equipped with the Black Ice and Real Secure Internet firewall products, causing the drives to fail and making it impossible to restart the PCs. Unlike many recent worms that arrive as e-mail attachments, it spreads automatically to vulnerable computers without any action on the part of the user.

Black Ice (Zone Alarm mucho mas better!) Real Secure ??

IF macs were as popular as pc's and windows, you would see mac's dying and pc owners gloatings.

14 posted on 03/20/2004 5:24:43 PM PST by steplock (http://www.gohotsprings.com)
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To: TomServo
My mistake, the virus isn't limited exclusively to Windows.
15 posted on 03/20/2004 5:44:09 PM PST by glorgau
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To: glorgau
Systems Affected: 	Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP
Systems Not Affected: 	DOS, Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft IIS, OS/2, UNIX, Windows 3.x
	
	
	

16 posted on 03/20/2004 5:53:21 PM PST by Nick Danger (Give me immortality... or give me death.)
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To: Nick Danger
(sarcasm) But Linux, Macintosh, OS/2 and UNIX is infected with the SCO virus. :p
17 posted on 03/20/2004 5:57:56 PM PST by Paul C. Jesup (The Motto: 'Live and let live' is a suicidal belief...)
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To: glorgau
My mistake, the virus isn't limited exclusively to Windows.

No - the virus is limited to Windows - where Black Ice and Real Secure Internet firewall products are installed.

18 posted on 03/20/2004 6:01:36 PM PST by TomServo ("He's my mentor..he taught me how to truly love a woman..from across the street..through a telescope)
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To: Salo
Not Windows. This time. ;-)

The code is a Windows executable, so only Windows systems are affected by it. The vulnerability that lets it in is in a software firewall product from ISS systems... Black Ice Defender.

Looks to me like yer basic disgruntled former ISS employee.

19 posted on 03/20/2004 6:03:25 PM PST by Nick Danger (Give me immortality... or give me death.)
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To: willieroe
W32.Witty.Worm

Only 660 bytes? Wow. Elegant!

20 posted on 03/20/2004 6:25:36 PM PST by solitas (sometimes I lay awake at night looking up at the stars wondering where the heck did the ceiling go?)
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