Is the new Microsoft Worm Giving You Problems This Morning? (I switched to Netscape)

Internet Weather Report/Network Overview ^ | September 12, 2003 | staff report

[meg70]

Traffic in Asia is slowed down to about half of the US

[js1138]

Interesting about the fraudulent downloads. I get all my freeware through cnet.com. I have trusted them for a long time to avoid viruses and trojans in downloads. They also provide user reviews that may tip you off to some particular problem.

[MotleyGirl70]

It just keeps coming up with an "ERROR".

I don't see the cable guys outside working on the box or anything either. Cable t.v. is working fine, FR is fine, but Outlook WinXP is still not working right. I may have to call the cable company and just see what they say.

Anyone in the Milwaukee having this problem?

[Malsua]

>>Turning off the message service is not practical for home users. <<

Huh? What home user uses it? I can't think of any home user who would do SEND 192.168.1.100 Hey what's for dinner?

Instead of just yelling up the stairs.

It should be DISABLED by default just like DCOM. How is it not practical to spend 30 seconds to turn off a future of annoying spam from idiot spammers?

-Mal

[js1138]

I think you need to expand your pool of IT managers you get your info from.

Lots of IT managers have been burned by updates. Getting hit by sophisticated worms is a rather new phenomenon. Computer Associates makes a virus scanner that allows updates to be installed to a test network and approved before being distributed to all workstations. It was this particular paranoia that allowed Melissa into one of my former companies. CA was so intent on avoiding problems with IT departments that they didn't get the Melissa fix distributed until it was too late.

[grumple]

www.opera.com

The free version has a little ad space that I have learned to live with. I only use microslop ineptitude browser for reading various boards, like this one.

Opera eliminates all pop-ups even.

Then get spybot and adaware as others have posted here.
Also get the free version of zone alarm. The pay version comes with a 30 day trial but blocks damn near everything and even tells you about hijack attemtps.

Also, check out www.tomcoyote.org and download "Hijackthis"
and "startuplist" programs. These are quick and dirty registry and startup analyzer programs. Great little utilities that allow you to quickly analyze what's being kicked off on your computer.

And lastly, try www.cexx.org. This is a pretty good site that has many posters dedicated to identifying spyware crap and helping you with the output of the aforementioned utilities.

Happy surfing!

[Ronaldus Magnus]

The default behavior is to download the patches and ask permission to install them. There are other options. At the very least you can download the patches and wait a week to see if they are causing trouble for others.

I admit that downloading on conditional execution isn't as stupid as the auto-execute option recommended in post #11, but allowing the automatic download of anything is an unnecessary security risk.

[Protagoras]

I have a device (I think Linksys) to link my cable modem and two pcs, is that a router?

[js1138]

I was thinking more of print servers and such sending messages, rather than people. Perhaps it would be nice to have a nice screen to disable optional services, rather than the rather scary services dialog. If you read the description of the messenger service, you would be reluctant to turn it off. There are all kinds of dire warnings. So you are not a typical home user.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Thanks. Does it make sense to get a router even though I only have one computer?

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

"Adaware puts a trojan on your system. Don't like it....

Evidence?

[freebilly]

I use spybot s&d on a regular basis. Very good product!

[freebilly]

Read some of the other posts. Turns out there's something masquerading as ad-aware out that puts a trojan on your system.

[techcor]

Bump to find later

[js1138]

Both the Slammer and the Blaster worm vulnerabilities were patched before the outbreaks. Weeks or months before. Not only could thes outbreaks have been avoided, but Microsoft has a point and click procedure for backing out fixes that cause problems. Nothing in this world is perfect.

I have a little story. I am kind of new to IT management and mostly do Access programming for a small company. Some months ago our server started getting these messenger popups. I decided to get a low-end firewall from D-Link. I had a lot of trouble getting it to work with our domain server, since I was new to firewalls and D-Link had no tech support for domain servers. I finally got itt up and running on a Friday afternoon. The next day the Slammer worm hit the world, but not us.

Just as an aside, Microsoft had fixed the Slammer vulnerability months earlier, but I, like a lot of others, was reluctant to upgrade SQL Server. The firewall saved us.

[Hodar]

That is all well and good until someone compromises your system connection or an in-route router

So, your reasoning to disallow an automatic update is because 'what-if' someone gets control of your system??! What if they dump 10 gallons on your PC? If your system is compromised, you are screwed.... period. They can format, and do darn near anything they want to at this point. At issue is PREVENTING this from happening.

I would prefer to have an operating system that didn't have all of these flaws and holes and didn't need to be updated every week. The very idea of giving the company that created all these security holes an even wider security hole is lunacy.

Let's be intellectually honest, ok? Do you think MS said "let's release a known buggy and insecure system, that will cost us millions of man-hours to fix later?" I'll give you a hint, they didn't. These are DISCOVERED flaws. And before you flame MS, Linux and Unix have issued their share of security patches too. When you are the market dominate source, you are the target of every script-kiddie on the planet. There aren't a whole lot of virus's going around for the Amiga. MS wants to sell their OS, and continue their market dominance; thats why they are supporting 4+ year old OS's free.

[FourPeas]

I don't see anything at sarc (other than the normal cat 1 & 2 annoyances)

[Hodar]

Does it make sense to get a router even though I only have one computer?

How valuable is your PC to you? If you use it for nothing but Freeping ... it's a value judgement that will be based upon your personal finances.

If you have ever, or ever intend to buy something over the internet, or use the PC for taxes, finances, stock trading and games ... abso-freakin-lutely drop $50 on a router. Think of it as a one time, lifetime insurance policy (and yes, Router software is updated by the manufacturer for free). An added plus is that should you buy a laptop, or second ( or 3-255) PC, you can just patch it into your router so you and your entire family can surf to your collective hearts content. Or, you can use the router to exchange files between computers, or play games and have your own Quake-fest during the next family get-together. So now you can legally, and freely frag your mother-in-law to your hearts content.

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

"...something masquerading as ad-aware..."

My point - it's NOT Ad-Aware.
If someone wants to use hacked software - they get what they deserve.

[Hodar]

I have a device (I think Linksys) to link my cable modem and two pcs, is that a router?

Without knowing the make/model, I can't tell you. It could be one of three devices.

Router - superhero of the internet age. Able to block hackers, virus's and safegard networks world-wide

Switch - semi-intelligent device that simply cascades IP addresses, allowing multiple PC's to access the internet (or home network). It works well as a repeater, if you have PC scattered all over a plant, as the signals are amplified, and bad transfers are intercepted, and automatically requests a re-transfer. But it has only a few brains, it typically does NOT have a firewall capability.

Hubs - Basically, nothing more than a box that does little more than twist the cable signals together. No brains to speak of at all.

Years ago, Hubs used to cost a around a hundred, switches a couple hundred and routers were $300+. Now, you can't find anyone who would admit to having a friend who once owned a hub or switch. With Routers being near dirt cheap, and ultra-powerful ...

The simple answer is this: Do you have a web address (randome example: 192.168.55.211) that pulls up a log-in window with a password to talk to your little box? If not, it ain't a router.

[FLAMING DEATH]

Nope. Of course, I'm running Mozilla Navigator in a live CD distribution of Linux called Knoppix. Even if I did get a bug, I have no HD's with write access, so all I'd have to do is restart to get rid of it, because it couldn't write to the Knoppix CD in my CD ROM.

Oh yeah, and this is free to download at knoppix.net, or you can order a CD copy for under $5.00.

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