-----Original Message----- From: Christopher A. Woodfield [mailto:rekoil@semihuman.com]

heh, maybe someone can take the worm code and use it to apply the IIS patch instead of DoS'ing the White House... :)

I'd be really curious as to how the courts in various countries would handle something like that. Would patching someone else's server or system without their prior knowledge or consent be considered illegal access? Would it make a difference to the court if the server or system was actively attacking[1] your system? "Mr. Judge, I was only using the resources at my disposal to stop the attack upon my own systems." What if it wasn't attacking you? How would you all feel if the US FBI or other gov't branch patched your server without you consenting or knowing? What if someone proposed that software companies be liable for sloppy coding that allows this kind of thing to happen so frequently? I'm guessing that several truckloads of lawyers could live off of something like that for many years. Paul LANtinga. [1] we all know how well defined that is. ;)