Microsoft prank program calls the police

Yahoo News ^ | Wed Jul 24, 3:27 PM ET | Reuters

[Dominic Harr]

Wed Jul 24, 3:27 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft has discovered that some users of its MSN TV service have downloaded a program that makes their set-tops dial the 911 emergency number instead of regular dial-up numbers, a spokeswoman said.

Microsoft issued a patch Tuesday night for the program, which arrives in an attachment to an e-mail. When opened, it shuts down the computer, changes the dial-up setting and then dials 911.

The program, which has affected at least 18 customers, is not a virus since it does not propagate, the spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Several people reported on WebTV newsgroup Web sites that police officers had showed up at their doors to find out why they called 911, according to a TechTV report.

Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft bought WebTV in 1997 and renamed it MSN TV last year.

Malicious programs that are used to dial 911 are not new. In April 2000, the National Infrastructure Protection Centre issued a warning about a computer virus that was prompting infected computers in Texas to dial 911.

[Dominic Harr]

Don't post most of the MS exploits anymore, since they're so common it's hardly news, but this one seemed rather different enough to be news-worthy.

[Dominic Harr]

Bumpetty bump bump,

over the hills we go.

[Dominic Harr]

P.S. -- the headline does seem rather misleading, tho.

Maybe I shoulda edited their headline. Oh well, sorry about that.

[Bush2000]

What a moron. User opens executable attachment, feigns surprise when it manipulates devices on his system. This is an exploit?!?

[Richard Kimball]

Well, how many programmers are using web TV as their method of accessing the net? At my college, we can always tell the people who don't understand computers by the following sequence:

1. Receive email with subject line something like: "those files you asked for", "Anna Kournikova Nude!" or "You've got to see this!" 2. Frantic, urgent message from our IT people: Do NOT open the message marked "whatever" 3. Flurry of about fifty email messages from the same five people, all marked with "Anna Kournikova Nude!"...

BTW, my favorite computer non-savy story goes back to when we transfered files using 5 1/4" diskettes. Handed a friend the disk, he folded it and put it in his shirt pocket. Gave him second disk, he took it to his office, called back an hour later and said, "it worked fine the first time, but now it doesn't work at all. Went to his office, he took the diskette out from under the magnet he'd used to stick it to the filing cabinet and....

[PatrioticAmerican]

hehehehahahahahahahehehehehehe*snort*hehehehehahahha*snicker*hehhahahha

ok...ok...so...whew....it's not THAT funny.....snicker...but........

[ikka]

What a moron. User opens executable attachment, feigns surprise when it manipulates devices on his system. This is an exploit?!?

That is not why the user is a moron.

The user is a moron for not knowing that MS can't program secure code, even in an embedded device meant to function as reliably as say a toaster or a coffee maker.

[PatrioticAmerican]

911: "What's your emergency???"
Kid: "What's the secret password that gives me super power?"

[Lizard_King]

Perhaps Palladium will be equally comical in its security standards.

[Bush2000]

The user is a moron for not knowing that MS can't program secure code, even in an embedded device meant to function as reliably as say a toaster or a coffee maker.

I would say the same for anybody who would imply that embedded Linux isn't capable of the same behavior when somebody runs unsecured executables...

[TechJunkYard]

You're forgetting that (a) it's people who spread these things, and (b) MS has a lock on the moron market. This has been shown time and time again.

[pyx]

What a moron. User opens executable attachment, feigns surprise when it manipulates devices on his system.

Your continued seething contempt of new users of your company's (Microsoft) products is unacceptable. All of us had to start at one time. All of us at one time were new users. Just because something may be inherently known to you does not mean its not a complicated and/or sophisticated task for a new user. New users trust others. They have to in order to learn. Calling them a moron on behalf of Microsoft is not condusive to creating goodwill with Microsoft's customerbase.

[Bush2000]

You're forgetting that (a) it's people who spread these things, and (b) MS has a lock on the moron market. This has been shown time and time again.

Who's forgetting it? I learned a long time ago never to underestimate the potential for people to hose themselves. This is a case in point.

[Bush2000]

All of us at one time were new users. Just because something may be inherently known to you does not mean its not a complicated and/or sophisticated task for a new user.

Ah, but some things only require a little common sense. Why not step out in front of a speeding bus? Answer: It hurts. Running an unknown program that you received in email is just one of those circumstances. Ignorance is no excuse.

New users trust others. They have to in order to learn.

If they want to trust others, don't use the Internet. It is inherently untrustworthy.

Calling them a moron on behalf of Microsoft is not condusive to creating goodwill with Microsoft's customerbase.

What does MS have to do with it? I don't presume to speak for them.