A new virus is spreading the net!

[joanlui]

Hey Guys, look here:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/download_ject.mspx

 

[DavidR]

And the reason why it's spreading on the net! People don't keep their winOS upto date.

From: http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/download_ject.mspx

Microsoft teams are investigating a report of a security issue affecting customers using Microsoft Internet Information Services 5.0 (IIS) and Microsoft Internet Explorer, components of Windows.

Important  Customers who have deployed Windows XP Service Pack 2 RC2 are not at risk.

Reports indicate that Web servers running Windows 2000 Server and IIS that have not applied update 835732, which was addressed by Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-011, are possibly being compromised and being used to attempt to infect users of Internet Explorer with malicious code.

Steps for Home Users
 
 Home users should visit the Windows Update Web site to install all critical updates, and then follow the steps outlined on the page to Increase Your Browsing and E-Mail Safety.

[techie101]

David,

It is not necessarily true that people do not keep there systems updated with MS security updates.

MS is not quick in forthcoming with patches until a flaw is discovered.

You can't put the cart before the horse!

Talk about "new viruses"....read this which appeared on the net today:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/06/25/internet.attack/index.html

 

[joanlui]

David,

It is not necessarily true that people do not keep there systems updated with MS security updates.

MS is not quick in forthcoming with patches until a flaw is discovered.

You can't put the cart before the horse!

Talk about "new viruses"....read this which appeared on the net today:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/06/25/internet.attack/index.html

 

and what about Avast! against that?  

[RejZoR]

I'm warning users every day that they should change their main browser for Opera/Mozilla which are much more secure then Internet Explorer. IE6 is only useful for on-line antivirus scans and Windows Update and nothing more.

[watchthisspace]

would Myie2 be a good alternative to IE6?

[rdsu]

would Myie2 be a good alternative to IE6?

About the features, is a great alternative, the best you will find...

About the security, is the same, because use the kernel of IE...

[Stephan123]

Mozilla or Opera are the best

[DavidR]

would Myie2 be a good alternative to IE6?

My thoughts would be yes, but only marginally as it also uses the MS IE core elements so could be liable to the same vulnerablities. However, since there is and increased level of security on top it could be a little better. I'm sure technical uses myie2, so he would probably know more.

I use Avant, another IE core browser, I also have FireFox 0.9 and which do you think I use by default? Avant, I prefere its interface and it also uses my IE favourites so if I happen to use IE and add a bookmark it is also available in Avant.

I know people wil say you can import favourites into firefox, but they don't automatically update if you add in another browser.

[DavidR]

David,

It is not necessarily true that people do not keep there systems updated with MS security updates.

MS is not quick in forthcoming with patches until a flaw is discovered.

You can't put the cart before the horse!

Talk about "new viruses"....read this which appeared on the net today:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/06/25/internet.attack/index.html

 

I couldn't agree more, first comes the horse then the cart, but when the horse is one kilometer in front of the cart. many of these vulnerabilities were identified and patched a long time ago. The one we are talking about here was released in april, two months ago.

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-011
Security Update for Microsoft Windows (835732)
Issued: April 13, 2004

What I am trying to hammer home is to visit the update site regularly.

There does seem to be a limited infection before antivirus companies bring out the recognition and removal tools, etc.

However, many of the vulnerabilities are recognised by security companies and individuals who report it to MS, some put it in the media and some of the script kiddies may see it and exploit it.

But by far, it is after all the publicity about Microsoft releasing a security patch relating to that vulnerability, that there seems to be a much higher rate of infection. Is this the script kids/hackers, etc. exploiting the vulnerability?

So the moral is still the same, regular visits to windows update.  MS now release updates monthly about the second week in the month, so that's when I pay my monthly visit.

[dadkins_1]

A voice of reason! Thank you DavidR!  

I constantly check and install *ALL* updates from Windows, I also use an IE based browser(SlimBrowser, newest version). This patch has been out for 2 months, it has also been in my system for 2 months.

Please people, update your systems.  Tighten security on any browser you choose to use...I did. Scan your systems regularly, use a quality firewall. Remove the tin-foil hats.

[S.Z.Craftec]

I'm warning users every day that they should change their main browser for Opera/Mozilla which are much more secure then Internet Explorer. IE6 is only useful for on-line antivirus scans and Windows Update and nothing more.

Well, sometimes it's not possible... I do all my online banking through Internet Explorer (Secure bank sites), just because of one reason... Mozilla, Firefox, Opera and other browsers in that class are not supported...

Bottom thing, Firefox behave so stupid sometimes... for example, when you want to type new message in this forum, just try to add some smilie or some code somewhere in the middle of already entered text (let's say you forgot to put smilie somewhere, and you go back to do that now...)

I don't like so many obvious bugs, and no one is doing anything to fix that... I reported that problem in Firefox forums 5 months ago... Still nothing...  

[Staind]

Odd. I've never had that happen to me.

[S.Z.Craftec]

Well, certainly it's not odd... I know so many people in this forum that are having exactly the same problem as I mentioned... just search for some threads containing Firefox problem wording...

When I try to insert smilie somewhere in the middle of the text, it will add that smilie at the end of the text, not where I wanted it to be...