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Windows PCs face ‘huge’ virus threat
Financial Times via Drudge ^
| January 2 2006 18:18
| By Kevin Allison in San Francisco
Posted on 01/02/2006 3:54:03 PM PST by Swordmaker
click here to read article
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To: Jet Jaguar; Swordmaker
I have some links handy ( rummaging around old files hastily )...
John's Note:
I tried this-- seems OK on Win 2K:
Here's an update to the unofficial fix posted above. The folks at sans.org have taken the patch apart and modified it to work on WIN2K systems.. It's running on my system with no apparent ill effects. I'll be patching the other computers in the house shortly. The upshot is this: You cannot wait for the official MS patch, you cannot block this one at the border, and you cannot leave your systems unprotected.
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Subnote: V-lan works fine on my home machines- others I know swear it "hosed my codecs"- so be advised I provide that and other links on a "use with caution" basis.
21
posted on
01/02/2006 4:04:24 PM PST
by
backhoe
(-30-)
To: Swordmaker
Every version of Windows released since 1990 is affected. Drat. There goes WFWG 3.11...
22
posted on
01/02/2006 4:05:03 PM PST
by
sionnsar
(†trad-anglican.faithweb.com† || Libs: Celebrate MY diversity, eh! || Iran Azadi 2006)
To: snarks_when_bored
Unfortunately:
Ilfak Guilfanov (see GREEN box below) produced a highly-effective true patch which successfully suppresses all known exploitable vulnerabilities for anyone using Windows 2000, XP, server 2003, or 64-bit XP. No patch is available for Windows 95, 98, ME or NT, and none is expected to be forthcoming. But anyone using Windows 2000, XP, server 2003, or 64-bit XP should IMMEDIATELY install Ilfak's exploit suppressor into all of their systems.
23
posted on
01/02/2006 4:05:06 PM PST
by
Swordmaker
(Beware of Geeks bearing GIFs.)
To: Swordmaker
To: snarks_when_bored
On the other hand:
Windows 98/SE/ME users: Microsoft's original advice to "unregister the shimgvw.dll" (shell image viewer) was never correct or useful on those platforms. The good news is that all current WMF exploits appear to be non-functional on the older Win9x vintage platforms . . . so you will likely be okay until Microsoft has updated your system with the next security patches. There is no short-term workaround for Windows 9x users.
25
posted on
01/02/2006 4:07:31 PM PST
by
Swordmaker
(Beware of Geeks bearing GIFs.)
To: Swordmaker
When did Microsoft ever release anything that wasn't susceptible to viruses?
26
posted on
01/02/2006 4:10:18 PM PST
by
airborne
(If being a Christian was a crime, would there be enough evidence to convict you?)
To: Swordmaker
I guess what happens will depend on whether the hackers feel like aiming at older versions of Windows and on how quickly Microsoft gets its patch out for those versions.
To: Paloma_55
The only reason MACs (sic) don't have viruses is that nobody targets them. False. That "security by obscurity" theory has been shot down many times by people who know what they are talking about. Five years, 20,000,000 users, and counting with no OSX exploits in the wild.
28
posted on
01/02/2006 4:10:57 PM PST
by
Swordmaker
(Beware of Geeks bearing GIFs.)
To: Swordmaker
29
posted on
01/02/2006 4:11:25 PM PST
by
DollyCali
(Don't tell GOD how big your storm is -- Tell the storm how B-I-G your God is!)
To: Decepticon
Errr, I thought the flaw was in .wmv files, quit downloading porn and music files until the patch comes out.....problem solved. No, it's in the DLL that displays .wmf files, not .wmv (Windows Movie). .wmf files are Windows Metafile files, which are basically image files, mostly used for clip art, rarely on legitimate web pages.
To: snarks_when_bored
Yep it's reliable alright. I downloaded it and when I ran it, it says it's corrupted. Downloaded it again and the same thing happened.
At this point I trust nobody.
31
posted on
01/02/2006 4:11:58 PM PST
by
unixfox
(AMERICA - 20 Million ILLEGALS Can't Be Wrong!)
To: LEPEN
I don't really like the sauce on a big mac.... would an arbys be just as good?
susie
32
posted on
01/02/2006 4:12:17 PM PST
by
brytlea
(I'm not a conspiracy theorist....really.)
To: Swordmaker
33
posted on
01/02/2006 4:13:20 PM PST
by
hiredhand
(My kitty disappeared. NOT the rifle!)
To: brytlea
I don't really like the sauce on a big mac.... would an arbys be just as good? Probably... now if you could get either to display a .WMF graphic clip file of the Virgin Mary, you could sell it on eBay!
34
posted on
01/02/2006 4:14:56 PM PST
by
Swordmaker
(Beware of Geeks bearing GIFs.)
To: unixfox
They could be experiencing lots of traffic. I downloaded the patch earlier today, no problem. Ran the checker program and it verifies that my system isn't vulnerable to the current exploits.
Try again a little later, perhaps...
To: Baraonda
pictures from laoding Is that close to Vientiane?
36
posted on
01/02/2006 4:16:20 PM PST
by
ASA Vet
(Those who know don't talk, those who talk don't know.)
To: ASA Vet
37
posted on
01/02/2006 4:17:46 PM PST
by
Baraonda
(Demographic is destiny. Don't hire 3rd world illegal aliens nor support businesses that hire them.)
To: Swordmaker
after a group of computer hackers published the source code they used to exploit it.<<<< Am I missing something here??...Im just a click and pointer...but published???
38
posted on
01/02/2006 4:17:50 PM PST
by
M-cubed
(Why is "Greshams Law" a law?)
To: LEPEN
I have 2 machines on my desk: one is an AMD machine running XP, the other is an iMac G5. I do all my surfing, read all my mail on the iMac. The XP machine is getting so little use, next week it'll become a Linux box!
To: Mannaggia l'America
Precisely. The problem appears to be that an error message returned from clicking on a thumbnail can actually be redirected to execute code at whatever level of access the user doing so has. Any code. Not nice.
I've applied the Guilfanov patch to my local box and everything seems fine so far. I've heard of some problems in canceling large print jobs but haven't seen anything like that myself.
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