Sasser kid blamed for viral plague

Grok Headline matches for Sasser kid blamed for viral plague

Sasser.A and Sasser.B Worm Removal Tool
(KB841720)

Sasser.A and Sasser.B Worm Removal Tool
(KB841720) 05/02/2004 10:32 PM
A situation has been identified where the Sasser.A or Sasser.B worms could have infected some systems before the application of MS04-011 [KB835732]. This tool will help remove the Sasser.A and Sasser.B worms from these systems. For systems with MS04-011 [KB835732], no further action is needed once this tool is installed. Install this tool to help remove this worm from your PC.

Did The Sasser Informer Play A Part In
Creating Sasser?

Did The Sasser Informer Play A Part In
Creating Sasser? 05/18/2004 03:04 PM
For all the hype about how Microsoft's bounty helped to catch the accused writer of the Sasser worm, the police are apparently now investigating whether or not the informant helped create the worm himself. This opens up a whole new set of questions about bounties. People who help each other create worms and viruses can turn around and backstab their partners for the bounty (and, of course, then be accused back by those they fingered).

Sasser.a and Sasser.b: Prevention and
cure

Sasser.a and Sasser.b: Prevention and
cure 05/10/2004 09:55 PM
ZDNet May 11 2004 1:47AM GMT

Sasser Worm (W32.Sasser.A and its
variants)

Sasser Worm (W32.Sasser.A and its
variants) 05/05/2004 06:56 AM
Sasser Worm (W32.Sasser.A and its variants)
http://ww w.microsoft.com/security/incident/sasser.asp

What you should know about the Sasser worm and Its Variants. Microsoft teams have confirmed that the Sasser worm (W32.Sasser.A and its variants) is currently circulating on the Internet. Microsoft has verified that the worm exploits the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) issue that was addressed by the security update released on April 13 in conjunction with Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-011. This has been added to Internet Alerts Subject Tracer™ Information Blog.

Viral Sucks

Viral Sucks 12/22/2003 05:18 PM
Internet Works Dec 22 2003 4:55PM ET

Viral Multimedia

Viral Multimedia 08/07/2004 01:46 PM

News.com is reporting that six critical vulnerabilities were found in libpng, a widely used library for displaying images in PNG format.  Note that libpng is open source yet no one noticed those vulnerabilities until now.  In my opinion, libpng being free and open source actually contributed to the scalability of attacks that could be launched through those vulnerabilities.

Even more disturbing is that, while patches for vulnerabilities found in end products like IE and Mozilla are quickly and widely distributed, patches for vulnerabilities in libraries often never make it to the end products that use the faulty versions of the libraries for various reasons.

How would you know if any of the infrequently used programs and utilities you have in your computer use vulnerable versions of popular libraries like libpng?  You don't.  Your only protection is that there are easier targets.  Unfortunately, vulnerabilities in multimedia software is starting to look more attractive for hackers.

Most likely avenue of viral multimedia attack is using porn to drive wide distribution of video codecs (compression/decompression) software.They don't have to carry trojans either.All they need are a handful of intentional defects for them to use as a wedge later.They can even release the software as open source since the chance of being discovered before harvest time is rather low.

Consider this a sort of social engineering attack against the little head.

Viral Words

Viral Words 03/13/2003 10:14 AM

Daypop "word bursts" is an interesting idea.  The implementation seems to be rather naive at the moment, though.  It would be great to be able to quantify and track various viral phrases.  For example, I've noticed a resurgence of the adjective "super" around Microsoft; particularly "super" with at least one other adjective ("super slick", "super cool", etc.)  Another example: after the 2000 presidential election fiasco, the incidence of the phrase "rule of the law" made a stunning statistical jump (and is still way more common than before, as far as I can tell).  And has anyone else noticed how widespread the phrase "make no mistake" became after 9/11/2001? 

These are all the sort of things that a reasonably smart computer could clue us in to.  The computer could recommend that you use a phrase that is at the cusp of becoming popular, or warn you when you use a phrase that is trending hyperbolically to becoming cliche.

This is no different from concerned parents who analyze the past 100 years of census data to select a child's name that will be most auspicious when the child reaches maturity and to avoid names that are trending toward obsolescence.  Most parents do that, right?

~

Whoa!Did I just see some guy explaining to Greta van Susteren that "the CIA has done Bayesian analysis to predict with 85% certainty that Saddam will launch a pre-emptive terrorist strike on the U.S."?I wonder what they used as inputs for their analysis, considering that nobody even knows what Bin Laden or his crew have been doing for the past year and the weapons inspectors haven't been able to find any of the weapons that Saddam is hiding.  Apparently Bayesian techniques are so powerful that actual information is unnecessary.I wish we had known about this magic technique before!  Hurry up! Let's run a Bayesian analysis to tell us where Bin Laden is!

Viral Marketing

Viral Marketing 06/05/2005 11:40 PM
Stickysauce Jun 6 2005 3:32AM GMT

Marketers Feverish Over Viral Ads

Marketers Feverish Over Viral Ads 03/22/2005 05:13 PM
Flushed with the success of several word-of-mouth ad campaigns, advertisers are abuzz about how to get consumers to do their work for them. By Daniel Terdiman.

Bluetooth Viral Video

Bluetooth Viral Video 08/05/2004 04:16 PM
160Characters Aug 5 2004 6:28PM GMT

Viral Marketing Strategies

Viral Marketing Strategies 06/23/2004 10:24 PM
WebDevInfo Jun 24 2004 2:03AM GMT

Folly of Charging for Viral Features

Folly of Charging for Viral Features 05/21/2004 09:49 PM

Dave Winer wrote:

It's lame to charge for weblog software based on how many weblogs you make and how many authors there are. A weblog isn't that big a deal.

To me, it's not whether a weblog is a big deal or not.  Importance of a feature is subjective and, in the end, nothing is a big deal.  Besides, making a big deal out of nothing is what marketing is all about.  Remember Seinfeld?

This comment over at Joi Ito's blog regarding the impact of Six Apart's new license hit me hard:

6A essentially fired its old Sales and Marketing staff...

The key lesson here is that you shouldn't be messing with the viral aspect of your product.

Jennifer Garner Ill With Viral Infection
(AP)

Jennifer Garner Ill With Viral Infection
(AP) 01/04/2005 05:31 PM
AP - Golden Globe nominee Jennifer Garner is sick. "She has a viral infection," publicist Nicole King said Tuesday, adding the "Alias" star isn't hospitalized and is resting at home in Los Angeles.

Falwell Again Battling Viral Pneumonia
(AP)

Falwell Again Battling Viral Pneumonia
(AP) 03/29/2005 08:52 PM
AP - The Rev. Jerry Falwell was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday, battling his second case of viral pneumonia in just five weeks, hospital and church officials said.

Viral GPL Misconceptions Elegantly
Explained

Viral GPL Misconceptions Elegantly
Explained 12/15/2003 04:27 PM

Phishermen attack on a viral scale

Phishermen attack on a viral scale 08/10/2004 10:58 AM
Scam email levels rise dramatically

Taking Viral Marketing A Little Too
Literally

Taking Viral Marketing A Little Too
Literally 08/18/2004 04:42 PM
Ah, those nutty video game companies. The latest publicity stunt, involves having people give out phone numbers and email addresses of their friends, and letting the video game company spam them with a text message or email telling them they have a virus. Anti-virus firms are horrified, especially as this follows up a number of over-hyped articles about mobile-phone viruses. The video game company, however, stands by the promotion, claiming that if people go to the website advertised in the "you have a virus" message, they'll realize it's just a promotion. Because, obviously, the first thing you do when you get a message telling you that you have a virus is go to the website it's advertising.

The plague… an end in sight!

The plague… an end in sight! 06/15/2004 03:12 PM
Here's a few more cicada pics from a week or so ago. They seem to be on their way out....

A plague on all our networks

A plague on all our networks 12/03/2003 05:15 AM
Attacks on the up, as clean-up costs soar

Viral Movie Provides Clues to Infection
Mechanism

Viral Movie Provides Clues to Infection
Mechanism 08/23/2004 01:10 AM

Phishing and viral tech combines in new
menace

Phishing and viral tech combines in new
menace 11/14/2003 08:05 AM
Mimail-I targets PayPal punters

How to Make More Job Contacts Faster,
through Viral Marketing

How to Make More Job Contacts Faster,
through Viral Marketing 06/22/2005 01:51 AM
Are you in the job market? Sick of every blog-byte cramming down your throat that you have to get out there and network? [PRWEB Jun 20, 2005]

Symantec spreads fear of viral attack on
Mac

Symantec spreads fear of viral attack on
Mac 03/22/2005 05:05 PM
This morning's articles by Silicon.com in regards to comments by security vendor Symantec its seventh bi-annual Internet Security Threat Report have set the web abuzz with talk of Mac vulnerability. Let's unspin Symantec's comments one by one, shall we?

Contrary to popular belief, the Macintosh operating system has not always been a safe haven from malicious code.

Translation: New Mac converts may be inclined to think that the immunity the Mac platform enjoys at the moment has always been the case--it hasn't. There was a virus in the late 1990's that really caused some damage for a week or so.

Out of the public eye for some time, it is now clear that the Mac OS is increasingly becoming a target for the malicious activity that is more commonly associated with Microsoft and various Unix-based operating systems

Translation: The Mac platform has been unattractive to hackers in the past since it didn't offer enough mass devastation opportunities due to its smaller market share. Now that the platform is becoming a bit more popular, hackers may decide to give it a look. That doesn't mean they'll be able to compromise it, but they will be looking for vulnerabilities when before they we not as interested.

Apple Computer has become a target for new attacks... The appearance of a rootkit109 called Opener in October 2004 serves to illustrate the growth in vulnerability research on the OS X platform... The various OS X vulnerabilities allow attackers to carry out information disclosure, authentication bypass, code execution, privilege escalation and DoS attacks. Symantec believes that as the popularity of Apple's new platform continues to grow, so too will the number of attacks directed at it

Translation: Yes, a few people have developed malware for Mac in the recent past. So far much of what has been written has taken more advantage of the naivety of users than actual flaws in the operating system. Opener and rootkit109 could expose a Mac to some serious hurt, but the victim would pretty much have to invite it in to be affected by it. Meanwhile, Apple has traditionally responded quickly with security updates to fix not just demonstrated possible vulnerabilities, but security issues that are unlikely to actually affect even a small percentage of actual users.

Should we panic? No. Should we become complacent that our Macs will remain virus and malware free forever? Of course not. Should we believe a company who makes its living from selling anti-virus software when they say that there is an ever increasing need for their product? Not without verification.

We invite your comments on the subject.

Cockney duck catches viral confusion

Cockney duck catches viral confusion 06/04/2004 07:10 AM
Letters Oh, and we got flamed...

Viewtoothing - Viral video marketing via
Bluetooth

Viewtoothing - Viral video marketing via
Bluetooth 08/05/2004 06:12 PM
Engadget Aug 5 2004 9:54PM GMT

Yahoo! 360, Social Networking and Viral
Marketing

Yahoo! 360, Social Networking and Viral
Marketing 04/01/2005 10:39 PM
Search Engine Journal Apr 2 2005 2:58AM GMT

Lights in Plague Park

Lights in Plague Park 12/02/2003 01:26 AM
Plague Park has a rather unusual collection of lights hanging from a tree. In the darkness they look like...

Resident Evil viral marketing ploy
backfires

Resident Evil viral marketing ploy
backfires 08/18/2004 08:47 AM
Mobile virus hoax taxes support desks

HepLink -- Viral Hepatitis Deep Search
Portal

HepLink -- Viral Hepatitis Deep Search
Portal 08/01/2004 06:44 AM
HepLink -- Viral Hepatitis Deep Search Portal
http://www.heplink.org/

A deep web search application that allows individuals dealing with hepatitis to spend more time finding answers to disease management issues and less time searching for them. The HepLink search portal was designed to aggregate information on viral hepatitis from a comprehensive collection of hepatitis specific sources, government websites and databases, consumer and patient resources, including complimentary and alternative medicine, transplant, clinical trials and health care provider resources, addiction resources, and legislation, advocacy/policy, education, research, clinical practice and current news sources. The information sources were prepared from private stores, public access information and the "deep web." This has been added to Deep Web Research Subject Tracer™ Information Blog. This will be added to Healthcare Resources 2004-05 Internet MiniGuide and Healthcare Resources Subject Tracer™ Information Blog.

Can Viral Marketing Beat Search Engine
Optimization

Can Viral Marketing Beat Search Engine
Optimization 03/23/2005 05:31 PM
A viral traffic feedback loop can be set up in a few minutes and supply a constant flow of targeted traffic for years. In contrast, getting and maintaining a good search engine position takes considerable expertise and time. [PRWEB Mar 23, 2005]

Health fears may plague biometrics

Health fears may plague biometrics 11/03/2003 01:27 PM
ZDNet Nov 3 2003 12:14PM ET

Budget woes plague ICANN

Budget woes plague ICANN 07/08/2004 06:56 AM
Handling the Net's naming system may prove easy compared with revising a record $15.8 million budget.

How can technology cure this electronic
plague?

How can technology cure this electronic
plague? 05/06/2004 05:31 PM

Budget woes plague Net administrator

Budget woes plague Net administrator 07/08/2004 07:00 AM
Handling the Net's naming system may prove easy for ICANN compared with revising a record $15.8 million budget.

Job Woes Plague High Tech

Job Woes Plague High Tech 09/15/2004 05:32 AM
Researchers say the industry bled 403,000 jobs between March 2001 and April 2004, and the high-tech market continues to shrink.

Critical flaws plague Kerberos

Critical flaws plague Kerberos 09/02/2004 08:15 AM
ZDNet Sep 2 2004 12:09PM GMT

West Braces For Grasshopper Plague

West Braces For Grasshopper Plague 04/25/2004 01:50 PM
CBS News Apr 25 2004 6:10PM GMT

Virus Plague Boosts Symantec

Virus Plague Boosts Symantec 04/29/2004 01:17 PM
TheStreet.com Apr 29 2004 4:29PM GMT

Computer Woes Plague U.S. Airlines

Computer Woes Plague U.S. Airlines 12/27/2004 09:55 PM
Forbes Dec 28 2004 1:37AM GMT
Grok Description matches for Sasser kid blamed for viral plague
GrokA matches for Sasser kid blamed for viral plague

Sasser kid blamed for viral plague

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