“Security experts issued fresh alerts over a new, file-deleting version of the MyDoom e-mail worm that was targeting computer users with greater ferocity on Wednesday. The new outbreak, known as MyDoom.F, emerged late last week and has been gathering steam since then,” Reuters reports.
“The virus is programmed to infect personal computers and use them to unleash a crippling digital barrage known as a denial-of-service attack on select Web sites belonging to Microsoft and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),” Reuters reports. “The attacks failed to bring down the sites, though access to the Web site for the RIAA was hampered slightly on Wednesday, security firms reported. The RIAA, a lobbying group for the music industry, has drawn the ire of computer users since it began suing American online song swappers last year.”
“But an early version of MyDoom did knock out the Web site of SCO Group, forcing the company to set up an alternative address,” Reuters reports. “While it was not spreading as fast as its MyDoom predecessors nor as rapidly as last week’s NetSky.b outbreak, MyDoom.F is considered a growing risk as it deletes random Microsoft Word and Excel files, plus photos and movies stored on an infected computer.”
Full article here.
Attacking the RIAA? Maybe we all should switch to Windows?
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and the beat goes on…
I agree Jeff. I’d love to assist in my own little way in launching a D.O.S. attack against M$ and the RIAA. haha Maybe I should just buy an old junky Celeron PC with an unpatched version of Windows running on it simply to plug in to the internet just to see what happens. ;>
Someone needs to write a virus to infect a windows computer and then open IE and direct it to the online Apple Store. Even better, steal windoze users credit cards and then order them a new Mac and have it shipped to their house.
slp a virus to order them a mac is a bad idea, a better one is to open up apple’s website during every boot. Rememeber people who buy windoze computers also buy x10 camera’s they like pop up advertising.
peragrin: good idea!
Also, Apple could do some online advertising with thier extra cash.
A google search for “windows virus” would bring up an ad for OS X, “Napster sucks” would bring up an ad for iTMS, etc…
humm .. I never seen a headline like this before it must be a first virus effect windows and not macintosh
OK Joe McConnel, I know you read these stories, so please respond:
You often talk about the cost of Macs. You feel that for a comparable machine, you have to pay more. My question is this: How much time have you spent patching machines and finding ways to avoid or extinguish viruses over the past month? Now, multiply that by your salary per hour. Did you purchase one of the many anti-virus packages? Add it on. Now, did you have to patch that with the latest virus definitions in order to catch MyDoom.a and .b and .c and …
Next, add that all on to the cost of your machine. Now comes the hard part: How much is peace of mind worth? Add that on. Are you still looking at the Windows PC as a bargain? Not me! That’s why I’m a Mac owner.
Joe, I’m only picking on you because you are our easiest target and because you won’t answer back with a “fsck you”. You usually have good answers.
Final question: Still thinking of buying that G5?…
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Hmm, data loss, now I wonder if this could be the start of a trend to tip the balance. So far the recent viruses have just been major annoyances, but haven’t caused people to actually lose any of their files. However, if people now start losing important files, the annoyance could turn to anger. We just need to make sure they know where to direct it!
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It isn’t just Joe’s salary, you should also include the overhead multipliers for his company to get the cost to his company, then double that because he would have been doing something productive during that time instead of patching, then add in the time to get reoriented back to what he was doing when he was interrupted by needing to do a patch, then the cumulative effects on co-worker(s) (and the overhead rate) who might have needed what he should have been doing, etc. I don’t understand why people who use Windows don’t understand how expensive this is. The CFOs and CIOs of a bunch of companies are not doing their jobs. Someday this is going to be an issue brought up by stockholders, except that right now the big institutional stockholders have the same problems with their own networks and don’t want to complain too loudly about this mess — some of their investors might start asking nettlesome questions!
I almost feel sorry for the window$ users. Deleting files randomly. Now when we know that 99% does not have back up for their work 🙁 Then again almost all of their software is pirate copies so deleting those is a good thing. Actually let’s forget the sorry part.
Bill Gates just said: “I’m very optimistic about this (security), even though there’s many years of work ahead of us.”
That is good to know that window$ user will suffer many many years.
Remember folks M$ is the most secure OS because its been attacked, updated, and patched so many times! – Bill Gates said this last month.
Guys and Girls!!! Check THIS!!!!
You will not believe your eyes!!!
http://www.microsoft.com/seminar/events/security.mspx
On this page there is Apple PowerBook promoting Micro$oft security!!
They have taken Apple logo away though!!
=)
Finland is right, its a tibook with the apple logo PSed out. Should be a subtle hint.
People, I’m afraid I have to support the security through obscurity myth. I’ve done some experimenting on my own and I find that it would not be terribly difficult to write a similar worm to the ones that always seem to be attacking Windows. Not hard to get at the address book data, use addresses and send out copies either.
Looking at the story, it doesn’t say anywhere that Macs are unaffected. In fact, in the whole story, and the considerable related links, there is not one inkling that there might be an alternative to having/scanning for/being careful about viruses.
How can we get the word out?
Mike
Thanks Finland! That link got forwarded
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TheloniusMac, wouldn’t I have to let your worm load itself by giving an administrator password? We all know that the worms can be written, it’s the execution that gets difficult.
This variant of MyDoom showed up first thing this morning in my boss’s inbox. I told him what it was and that the person listed as the sender wouldn’t know anything about it. He replied that the person wanted to know about the information in the attachment. He had no concept of the idea of bluffing the sender name and having the worm write the message. He was shocked when I responded that he could call the sender anytime and ask about it, the person listed wouldn’t know what he was talking about at all. The fact that this one deletes files makes it far more serious IMO than any of the other major virii of late, and I’m sure I’m far from alone on that thought.
Obviously the reason the fellow looks so happy is that he *is* looking at a Mac, getting his work/fun done and not having to patch systems.
To “One guy from Finland”, I don’t see the resemblance of the laptop in the photo and the ones at http://www.apple.com/hardware/gallery/ . At this Apple site, you can position the Apple product so it is in the same perspective as the photo. If you click on any of the PowerBooks or the iBook, they ALL have screens that are hinged in a manner so they cover the back while open. I just don’t see the resemblance, unless it is an older PowerBook.
My firewall is up and my virus definition is up-to-date. The effects of this virus are exaggerated. This does not affect me at all, so Windows is good.
(Yes, it was a sarcasm)
What we need to find is the stock photo they used for the security picture. It’s probably on comstock, isn’t that the site MS has a part in. Unfortunately comstock is unavailable at the moment. But does anyone else remember the fiasco of the reverse switcher.
Oh joy. There is now new Netsky.C virus too. I wonder if I should invest to these windows security companies. They do make a nice amount of money nowadays. I really wonder these windows guys. How long are they going to go with these worms and viruses? They are going through an endless nightmare and still they smile and say “windows is better”. When do they give up and switch to the mac side? Apple should launch a “are you tired campaign?” to IT guys who don’t have time to sleep. They could do it together with H�stens.
http://www.hastens.com/english/index2.htm
H�stens is a Swedish (unfortunately) company that sell excellent beds.
Aryugaetu
It is older model = PowerBook Titanium
http://www.its.unimelb.edu.au/ucs/info/apple/3004powerbook.html
That picture has gone through Photoshop. Still you can clearly see what it originally is.
There you go.
Microsoft has a Mac division right in Redmond itself, they also do their art on Mac’s as well. There was a article about them somewhere.
G5 Owners Support Group
Security by obscurity is not how OS X works. First of all Darwin, the non-GUI part of OS X, is open source. Any virus writer can take a look at it and try to find it’s weak spots. Second, Unix and therefore OS X, was designed from the beginning to be a multi-user, networked OS. Issues of security and protecting each users data are a fundamental part of the OS. Windows was designed to be a single user system not connected to a network, with absolutely no thought given to security. Everything Microsoft has done since then is just a patch over a fundamentally insecure system. As we can all see, it is basically impossible to fix a fundamental design flaw through patching.
OS X requires you to enter an administrator password each time you try to install a new application. So it is possible to write a virus, but it is impossible for it to silently install itself as all Windows viruses do.