I get this stuff just about every day - just goes to show y'all how much
Microsoft TRULY and REALLY cares for their PURCHASING PUBLIC.
Wazzat Billy Gates? You want to make safe software for the public?
-----Forwarded Message-----
Subject: Virus Alerts [Prevention: the best weapon against the Blaster wor m -
08/13/03]
Date: 13 Aug 2003 15:02:25 +0200
- Prevention: the best weapon against the Blaster worm -
Virus Alerts, by Panda Software (http://www.pandasoftware.com)
Madrid, August 13, 2003 - The Blaster worm continues to wreak havoc in users
PCs, as borne out by the number of incidents recorded by Panda Software's
international tech support network, and it is still the virus most
frequently detected by Panda ActiveScan, the free online scanner.
However, the epidemic currently being caused by Blaster could easily have
been avoided. The vulnerability exploited was reported by Microsoft almost
a month and half ago and was widely reported by the international media. The
same advise was repeated time and again: to avoid problems, simply apply the
Microsoft patch.
Seemingly this advise fell on deaf ears, judging by the number of computers
affected by Blaster. The situation also highlights the general lack of
security awareness among home users, who have been affected more than any
other user group Users with personal firewalls installed have escaped the
effects of the worm, as port 135, used by Blaster to enter computers, is
protected by these kinds of programs.
Likewise, the high number of incidents still being caused by Blaster is also
largely a result of the failure by users to keep the antivirus software in
their PCs completely up-to-date.
Similarly, the RPC DCOM vulnerability continues to cause problems, as Panda
Software's Virus Laboratory has detected the appearance of a new worm/Trojan
called W32/RPCSdbot which exploits the Windows vulnerability to take control
of the infected computer and spread via e-mail.
However, protecting against Blaster, W32/RPCSdbot and other viruses that
could emerge in the near future can be simple, provided users take a few
basic precautions:
- Find out about and apply patches to correct vulnerabilities detected in
the software installed on your PC. Vendors websites will normally have this
sort of information and the downloads. Similarly, e-bulletin services, such
as Panda Software's Oxygen3 24h-365d free newsletter, provide the latest
information on these security issues.
- Keep your antivirus updated. The simplest way is to install solutions that
update automatically when users connect to the Internet such as Panda
Antivirus Titanium or Platinum 7.0.
- Install a personal firewall in your computer, with both broadband and
modem connections, as just a few seconds is all it takes for a malicious
code like Blaster to infect your PC. Solutions like Panda Antivirus Platinum
7.0 actually include a personal firewall.
Finally, Panda Software advises all users who haven't done so already to
update their antivirus solution. The company has already released the
updates to detect Blaster and W32/RPCSDbot, so if your software is not
configured to do so automatically, you can update your antivirus from
http://www.pandasoftware.com
Panda Software has also released the PQREMOVE application designed
specifically to clean and repair systems affected by Blaster. This utility
can be downloaded from http://www.pandasoftware.com/downloads/utililities/
For further information about Blaster, W32/RPCSdbot and other viruses, visit
Panda Software's Virus Encyclopedia at:
http://www.pandasoftware.com/virus_info/encyclopedia/
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Thu Aug 14 12:35:00 EST 2003
12:35:00 up 10 days, 16:23, 1 user, load average: 2.74, 2.61, 2.50
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| __ __ |kuhn media australia |
| /-oo /| |'-. |http://kma.0catch.com |
| .\__/ || | | |================================|
| _ / `._ \|_|_.-' |stephen kuhn |
| | / \__.`=._) (_ | email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] |
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linux user #:267497 linux machine #:194239 * MDK 9.1+ & RH 9
Mandrake Linux Kernel 2.4.21-11mdk Cooker for i586
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* This message was composed on a 100% Microsoft free computer *
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