On Tue, 6 Feb 2007, Roy wrote:
Its amazing how reporters has to butcher technology information to make it understood by their editors
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/02/06/internet.attacks.ap/index.html?e...
Do we keep missing opportunities? Yes, it was a minor incident, just like a minor earthquake, the hurricane that doesn't hit, the fire that is exitinguished. But it was also an opportunity to get the message out to the public about the things they can do to take control. We remind people what to do in a tornado, earthquake, flood, hurricane, etc. This on-going education does help; even though some people still drive their cars through moving water or go outside to watch the tornado. Instead of pointing fingers at South Korea, China, etc, every country with compromised computers (all of them) are the problem. The United States may be slow as far as broadband, but it makes up for it in the number of compromised computers. We may know the drill, but it doesn't hurt to repeat message everytime we have the public's attention for 15 seconds. 1. Turn on Automatic Update if your computer isn't managed by a full-time IT group. Microsoft Windows, Apple MAC OS/X, and several versions of Linux have Automatic Update available. Most vendors make security patches available to users whether or not the software is licensed or un-licensed. Zero day exploits may be sexy and get the press attention, but the long-term problem are the computers that never get patched. The VML exploit on the football stadium websites was patched last month; but its not how fast a patch is released, its how fast people install it. 2. Use a hardware firewall/router for your broadband connection and turn on the software firewall on your computer in case you ever move your computer to a different network. Use Wireless security (WEP, WPA, VPN, SSL, etc) if using a WiFi access point, or turn off the radio on both your home gateway and computer if you are not using WiFi. 3. Even if your computer is secure, miscreants depend on your trust. Be suspicious of messages, files, software; even if it appears to come from a person or company you trust. Anti-spam, anti-spyware, anit-virus, anti-phishing tools can help. But don't assume because you are using them, you can click on everything and still be safe. The miscreants are always finding new ways around them. It may just be human nature, but people seem to engage in more risky behavior when they believe they are protected. 4. If your computer is compromised, unplug it until you can get it fixed. Its not going to fix itself, and ignoring the problem is just going to get worse.