[plug] MS vulnerability

[Ben Jensz]

About half of the computers at my work got infested with the .B variant 
of Blaster.

It didn't make it in past the firewall, web or via email.  It came in 
through the one way I wasn't expecting.  A certain user decided to take 
their laptop home and dial-up with BigPond directly to the internet 
without a firewall (don't even get me started) and started getting the 
RPC errors with their computer shutting down every 10 minutes, but of 
course they didn't come and ask before plugging it back into the network 
the next day.  It took probably no more than a minute from the person 
plugging it in until I pulled the core switch and half of the machines 
were infected.

We don't have a Windows server (and still have no intention of getting 
one), so updating of Windows without Microsoft's Software Update 
Services (SUS - which only runs on their server OS, not even a 
left-on-all-of-the-time XP Pro box could be used) is almost a full time 
job in itself, so it gets done every couple of months.  Also the 
anti-virus we use didn't get updated for the variant we got until the 
same day we got infected (it was available about an hour before we got 
it, so auto-update didn't pick it up in time).  My work computer didn't 
notice a thing though as I was running Mdk9.1 at the time :)

Laptop users really are annoying, had the same person get two laptops 
stolen in the space of 6 months and another one brings a diseased one in 
and infects the desktops.... *sighs*


/ Ben


Randal Adamson wrote:

>As for NT4, M$ had stopped supporting it a while ago. 2K will eventually
>follow suit now 2K3 (2003) is out. Who knows how long they will support
>2K for.
>
>For all other (newer versions), all people have to do is:
>
>1)	Ensure they have applied the current security patches and fixes
>from M$
>2)	Use a Firewall between their PC's and the Internet
>3)	Have the latest Virus Definitions with their Anti-Virus Software
>
>Or:
>
>1)	Use Linux
>
>:P
>
>I know what I'd choose!
>
>Cheers,
>
>Ranz
>
>  
>