Anybody been affected by this Wormblaster virus?

[Alexander's Horse]

I have a good firewall but I'm having this interesting problem where my browser tries to reconnect when I shut down the internet. A couple of times its frozen and I've had to reboot. Not sure if its the worm or an icq glitch. The problem usually happens when I've shut down icq during a session.

[Solver]

GRR!

I helped a few people get rid of it, but it's all so BORING! Those idiots can't write virii anymore. The author didn't even know the proper address for Windows Update site. Just look at how harmless the virus is:

1. Its process shows in Task Manager, which is easily avoidable.
2. It pretty much restarts comp at random intervals, not continously.
3. It does not damage any data directly.

All the fuss about it, geez! Slammer was the last half-decent virus attack, but that's 8 months old, and still wasn't good.

Here's what a virus would have to be like.

Two-way spreading, that is, uses email. and a vulnerability like Blaster did.
On NT based system, uses another Windows hole to register itself as a service with LocalSystem privileges.
Modifies the exefile class in registry to prevent execution of applications.
Deletes anything in startup section to prevent security programs.
After restarting the computer (or after spreading via email), start damaging data.

Now that would be something...

[badams52]

Solver, let's not give anyone any ideas eh

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Solver
Those idiots can't write virii anymore.

Viruses.

Virii isn't a word.

[Solver]

Solver, let's not give anyone any ideas eh

Any programmer could easily implement those anyway .

[Verto]

I don't see why this has been made into such a huge deal. All I should hear about this from the news, is how ignorant PC users failed to update their computers, and have only themselves to blame.

[SpencerH]

It caused a lot of problems in my department. 4 or 5 crashed completely (i.e went into a never ending shutdown-startup-loop). My work PC, which runs on NT, wasnt directly effected but today the IT guys were out scouring every PC for worms etc and installing all updates. Pain in the ass bull**** (I dont have full admin rights).

[Alexander's Horse]

What's the attraction of creating worms and virus? Such a nasty thing to do.

[Verto]

Personal gratification, or to prove to yourself that you can do it. Or a lack of social life.

[Bereta_Eder]

There IS some sort of fascination with this...

I have, erm, visiting some crack sites lately basically for a couple of crack keys and there you have it all... Trojans, worms, the works. It's very easy to find them.

And I was just sitting there wondering for a minute... what if... but then I thought, nah, **** it

Obviously some people don't say "nah..."

[Dis]

do worms go away?

Say like if I installed Windows XP in a few weeks- will the problem still be out there?

Who was it that said that they didn't even have time to download the update after installing Windows XP before their computer shut down.

[Poogas]

I had that damn virus. It was hell trying to get rid of it. But I got the job done.

[blackice]

viro- or vir-
pref.
Virus: virogenesis.

[From virus.]

ii

adj : being one more than one; "he received two messages"

Virii, it will be added to a dictionary as a word soon enough. :0)

What's the attraction of creating worms and virus? Such a nasty thing to do.

In this case from what I gather it was because Microsoft dismissed this hole as a minor threat.
Same goes for the next one...comming soon to a computer near you. Four major flaws and four times Microsoft has dismissed them. All of these since July 8th of this year.

I don't know about the rest of you but Trend Microsystems has put out two updates per day for the last week. They take them seriously and update thier anti virus ahead of time.

Say like if I installed Windows XP in a few weeks- will the problem still be out there?

Yes it will be all of them will be.... eh.

[SpencerH]

Except that the patch was out a month before the worm.

[Asher]

Originally posted by blackice
In this case from what I gather it was because Microsoft dismissed this hole as a minor threat.

How the hell do you figure?
When MS released a patch for it a month ago, it was clearly labeled CRITICAL, not a "minor threat".

And the virus writers are extraordinarily poor these days, it'd be easy to write ones that spread faster and do more damage. The problem is, the kind of kids who write viruses aren't good at what they do, hence writing viruses...