“The federal government says there is new evidence that an attack is being planned on computers using Microsoft’s Windows,” CNET News.com reports. “The Department of Homeland Security issued an updated advisory this week about possible hacker attacks on computers running Microsoft operating systems. The advisory warns that several working exploits are now in widespread distribution on the Internet.”
“‘These exploits provide full remote system level access to vulnerable computers,’ the advisory states. Microsoft issued a patch to plug the hole two weeks ago. No worm code has been reported so far. But the Homeland Security Department said there is evidence to show an increase in searches for vulnerable computers on the Internet over the past week. This reinforces the urgency to install patches on computers that use Windows operating systems as soon as possible, the advisory said,” CNET News.com reports.
The warning comes a scant two weeks after the same U.S. Department of Homeland Security awarded a five-year, $90 million enterprise agreement to Microsoft.
Related stories:
Flaw City: Microsoft Windows in security meltdown?
Department of Homeland Security chose Microsoft due to time and money limitations
So…with this in mind…they bought which OS?
What blows my mind is Microsoft’s blase’ attitude about all this. Geez, with the sheer amount of programmers and capital they have, you’d think they could plug all this crap up. Is it possible that m$ is our greatest national security risk?
It’s amazing isn’t it? The government has publicly announced it will cease all telecom contracts with MCI, citing “ethics” problems, but they continue to put up M$ negligence as far as security goes.
There have been numerous stories lately about MS making decisions about what to do with their massive horde of cash. Perhaps security would be a good thing to spend it on? After raking in so much of the public’s money, the public should demand a quality product.
But… that ain’t gonna happen. Oh well.
Can we recall the clown that made the decision to go with M$ at Homeland Security?
So, if “Department of Homeland Security chose Microsoft due to time and money limitations” is the case, how much is it going to cost to fix this $h1t? I figure it’s going to cost TONS to have sysadmins go out and install al of those patches on all of those systems.
Look, our govt stopped being by the people and for the people a while back. Now it is only interested in sticking it to the populace while the rich get richer. This is why M$ was chosen. Homeland Security is only concerned with worrying about itself. There is no concern for making the right choice, just the most profitable.
I think we should all write our congress people and complain that 2 weeks after the $90 million contract, DHS is now saying all its systems are vulnerable to attack. This is not good for our sense of National Security.
Maybe after a few weeks of Congressional Hearings about why MS software sucks, someone will wake up and switch to Linux or Mac OS.
Maybe they should take the $90 million, switch to Linux for free and then have $90 million to develop all the special apps that are windows only.
Since we’re doing our part in taking off our shoes and being probed – they should do their part and go back to an IBM 360 with terminals. It’s safe and it’ll go with their short white shirts and thin black ties.
With MS, they’ll be hosting French porn in 2 days.
“Time and money limitations” is TREASON when it is used as a lame excuse to ignore national security!!
A $799 eMac is 1000 times more secure and has 100 times fewer crashes/freezes than anything at any price running ANY Microsoft OS!!
The average computer user in the Dept. of Homeland Security isn’t doing anything CPU/speed intensive. All they needed as a very simple, low cost, highly secure computer to access and push around sensitive data.
Using eMacs booting directly from Mac Servers would require a very small IT staff, and provides centralized security and control within a highly reliable network. And if the system does need an update, just the server gets updated and all of the eMacs simply need to restart.
If time, money and SECURITY are important, then Microsoft is the LAST OS on the planet to use!!
Screw “user familiarity and comfort with MS Windows” if our nation’s security is at stake!! But, as others have stated on here, the current administration is OBVIOUSLY more interested in giving their billionaire buddies even more money from the taxpayers pockets, with a TOTAL DISREGARD for national security and finances!!!
This action of intentionally creating such an extreme breach of national security, under the guise of ignorance (not researching) is treasonous!! …not to mention any “under the table” future benefits or promises. The President’s security staff MUST be aware of the DHS implementation of MS Windows as well as Microsoft’s record of extraordinarily poor security. This is a he11 of a lot more dangerous to our nation than a presidential b.j. in the oval office.
WHY ISN’T THIS BLATANT ACT BEING INVESTIGATED AND REPORTED IN THE MEDIA?!!!
Orange alert anyone?
This is the same group who have repeatedly warned of terrorist attacks which haven’t materialised either and caused a rush on duct tape and plastic film to secure your homes from the imminent threat of hioattack. In fact, if you check out the history of these ‘threats’ and the actual incidence of attacks, you’ll see that very, very few of them actually materialise into anything real (and in two of those cases in the US: The Oklahoma Bombing and the World Trade Center attack – they missed warning on it entirely).
Consider where the warning is coming from and get a grip on reality.
Wait wait wait. Are you suggesting that taping yourself in airtight is NOT a cure for terrorism?
Darn it! What to do with the duct tape I spend my next rent check on?
Hilarious… and pathetic!
“Sitting in a bunker, here behind my (fire)wall, waiting for the worms to come…”
–Pink Floyd (bastardized)
Let’s see, I just got two attempts in the last 10 minutes. Not too shabby.
I’ve never had so many ping floods, port scans etc until quite recently.
Something is definitely going on because I’ve had 14 attempts in my Firewall logs all in the last month. I assume they are unsuccessful, I’m not a Firewall expert but I’ve got everything blocked that does not need to be on.
I use a Mac running OSX so I guess the threat is minimal, as the problem is specific to the Windows OS.
If the threat is real it reinforces the IT security strategy that most company IT departments should adopt a bio-diversity strategy in their computing platforms. The Ideal solution would be 33% Windows, 33% Mac, 33% Linux.
It just minimizes business impact and is quite logical really.
The company I work for recently had an old Virus re-appear in the network and It virtually stopped the business (A large Australian retailer) for half a day because of a vulnerability in the Windows OS. A simple bio-diversity strategy would have kept the business running.
Nobody will never be able to stop computer Virii and intrusions. All companies and users can do is minimize the impact through platform bio-diversity.
“I’ve had 14 attempts in my Firewall logs all in the last month.
In general, or just for this attack? If you mean in general, boy are you lucky! I’ve had 35 attempts in the last hour-and-a-half! And this is on a consumer cable modem!