Happy patch Tuesday. One critical update released today, affecting Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems, Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems, Windows XP Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, and Windows 2000 Service Pack 4.
Virus writers have created a Linux worm which uses a recently discovered vulnerability in XML-RPC for PHP, a popular open source component used in many applications, to attack vulnerable systems.
XML-RPC for PHP features in many web application including PostNuke, Drupal, b2evolution, Xoops, WordPress, PHPGroupWare and TikiWiki. Most of these applications have been updated to address the security flaw.
But unpatched systems are at risk from a Linux worm - called Lupper - which exploits the bug to load itself onto vulnerable systems. Anti-virus firms report few reports of the malware which is noteworthy mainly because of the rarity of malware strains targeting Linux systems rather than its risk factor, which is low.
A team of I.T. staffers at the University of Indianapolis recently showed off a bundle of open-source tools and scripts it uses to trap and isolate PCs infected by viruses or spyware.
Dubbed Shelob, after the sinister giant spider in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” the software identifies suspect traffic patterns, identifies the computers involved and then shunts them to a closed virtual LAN. Users get an appropriate Web screen, explaining what’s happened and how to fix their PC or whom to call for help.
Shelob’s inner workings were shown off recently in Orlando, Fla., at Educause, the annual user conference for I.T. professionals in higher education.
The school says that since being rapidly thrown together during the Blaster worm outbreak of 2003, Shelob has helped to keep it free of network or service outages related to virus infections. One limitation is it works only with clients that are plugged directly into the LAN, not wireless about wireless devices.
Last week was lots of fun if you work in Sony-BMG’s PR department. First, there was the discovery that the latest Van Zant CD installed a bunch of malware without the user’s permission. After a mountain of negative press and public pressure, Sony-BMG saw sense and issued a patch to address customers’ concerns.
Unfortunately for Sony-BMG, the move may have come too late to dodge the US national pastime: the class action lawsuit. According to News.com, San Francisco law firm Green Welling, are already salivating over this.
“We’re still investigating the case and talking to different people about what happened to them,” said Robert Green, a partner at The Firm. Green’s main argument will be that customers should be informed if an audio CD’s copy protection extends to installing a bunch of software on your PC. Of course they should, though you can image that such ‘consent’ may well be tucked away in a long and confusing End User License Agreement (EULA) full of legalese that nobody will read. Naturally, that is no defence, but is it too much to expect companies to play fairly? Most users just tick the box and click Next.
Over time, the computers inside air conditioners, refrigerators, televisions and automobiles will increasingly connect to cyberspace. This phenomenon also will open them up to the same attacks now threatening PCs, servers and databases.
Are we as an industry prepared for such an assault? No. But Trend Micro executives last week said in time, we will be better equipped to take on such attacks.
“You’re seeing computer networks built into everything,” said David Michael Perry, global director of education for the Tokyo-based antivirus firm. “Look at cars. Door locks are increasingly controlled by computer networks. If you lock the keys in the car, OnStar can unlock it for you.” Perry also noted how he can use the Internet to turn down the air conditioner in his house and how TiVo “is nothing but a networked computer.”
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