News SP2 Users battling against torrent of Rootkits

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by GreatOldOne, 7 Dec 2005.

  1. GreatOldOne

    GreatOldOne Wannabe Martian

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    GreatOldOne, 7 Dec 2005
    #1
  2. Firehed

    Firehed Why not? I own a domain to match.

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    I smell non-objective journalism... :)

    Doing something for the user? That's a first. However, wouldn't it be against the DMCA for MS to remove Sony's rootkit?
     
    Firehed, 7 Dec 2005
    #2
  3. Buzzons

    Buzzons Minimodder

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    the entire OS is based around the user, have you not read the amount of hoops MS has to jump through when it wants to release updates, patches or more software? its stupid. Everyone winges about how "inseucre" their OS is, well yes, but its the price you pay for useability. If you want a secure OS use OpenBSD, just be sure to read if the bit of software you want to use is even compatiable with it. (note even some MySQL versions wont run on OpenBSD due to the way it secures its self.)
     
    Buzzons, 7 Dec 2005
    #3
  4. DreamTheEndless

    DreamTheEndless Gravity hates Bacon

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    bah

    run os X

    zero viruses (virii?) in 5 years.
     
    DreamTheEndless, 7 Dec 2005
    #4
  5. quack

    quack Minimodder

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    Viruses, there is no "virii".
     
    quack, 7 Dec 2005
    #5
  6. [Jonny]

    [Jonny] What's a Dremel?

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    Glad I stuck with SP1 then. :thumb:
     
    [Jonny], 8 Dec 2005
    #6
  7. Buzzons

    Buzzons Minimodder

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    OS X just got labed as the LARGEST security hole by SANS or CERT one of the two, it was listed in the Top 10 vunerabilites of 2004, never has a FULL OS been listed
     
    Buzzons, 8 Dec 2005
    #7
  8. DreamTheEndless

    DreamTheEndless Gravity hates Bacon

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    Did you read why?...
     
    DreamTheEndless, 8 Dec 2005
    #8
  9. Nature

    Nature Minimodder

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    Linux all the way my babies.. :)
     
    Nature, 8 Dec 2005
    #9
  10. seanblee

    seanblee What's a Dremel?

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    LOL that's just daft. SP2 has reduced the attack surface of XP by a fair bit, so by not installing it you're making your machine more vulnerable. I was involved with the beta of SP2, and I still can't understand the problems people try to blame on it - we proved time and again that there were very few new issues caused by SP2 throughout the beta.

    As for this being Microsoft's fault, yes, to a degree. However, until such time as software vendors start making their software properly so it'll run under a limited user account, you can place the blame on them too. If we all run under 'Standard User' instead of 'Administrator', the vast majority of these rootkit apps and similar would be nullified as the low-level OS permissions wouldn't allow them to be installed.
     
    seanblee, 9 Dec 2005
    #10
  11. seanblee

    seanblee What's a Dremel?

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    From SANS:
    Compare that to Microsoft, who always disclose the exact purpose of a software update, in brief in Windows Update and in full in the associated KnowledgeBase article. OS-X is nothing special - it's an OS, therefore it has security holes, it's a given. It's most likely got as many as Windows, it's just that because Windows is more widely used, its bugs tend to get found quicker (and exploited more aggresively).
     
    seanblee, 9 Dec 2005
    #11
  12. quack

    quack Minimodder

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    The article doesn't state that SP1 is any safer, since it's not! SP2 is the most secure version of XP there is, no doubt about it - an inarguable fact.

    What's also true is that XP SP2 still not totally impenetrable, and that it can still get infected with malware. A lot of this is down to user stupidity and ignorance - still clicking on email attachments from people they don't know etc.

    If you don't like the Security Center that comes with SP2, disable the service and it'll never bother you again! If you don't like the connection limit in tcpip.sys, patch it... but I've never needed to worry on my PCs.

    I can't see any reason NOT to install SP2.
     
    quack, 9 Dec 2005
    #12
  13. Hamish

    Hamish What's a Dremel?

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    im a sp2 user and i havent been battling even 1 rootkit let alone a torrent of them :p
     
    Hamish, 9 Dec 2005
    #13
  14. quack

    quack Minimodder

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    Do you open random email attachments and run weird executables which you don't know where they came from?
     
    quack, 9 Dec 2005
    #14
  15. Hamish

    Hamish What's a Dremel?

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    yes all the time :worried:
    in fact i sign myself up to spam sites so i can get e-mails to look at :p
     
    Hamish, 9 Dec 2005
    #15
  16. quack

    quack Minimodder

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    LOL. I ended up with an annoying piece of software called Perfect Keylogger on my PC not that long ago, it hid itself from Task Manager but Process Explorer showed it up. No idea how it managed to install itself, but I soon got rid of it once I'd discovered it.

    I guess that's the only real piece of malware I've had.
     
    quack, 9 Dec 2005
    #16
  17. Hamish

    Hamish What's a Dremel?

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    i've had one piece of spyware in the last few years and that came from my sister's pc cos shes a noob with too many msn contacts :p
     
    Hamish, 9 Dec 2005
    #17
  18. Sparrowhawk

    Sparrowhawk Wetsander

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    Hopefully Microsoft will lump Suncomm MediaMax and First4Internet's XCP (Both commonly reffered to as the Sony Rootkit) into the "illegally installed spyware" category and kick them to the curb, too.
     
    Sparrowhawk, 12 Dec 2005
    #18
  19. seanblee

    seanblee What's a Dremel?

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    The Sony rootkit software is already in the list for the next scheduled Malicious Software Removal Tool rollout at the beginning of next month :) Think it's also removed by MS Anti-Spyware.
     
    seanblee, 13 Dec 2005
    #19
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