Author: Frederic Friedel
Date: 02:15:50 05/05/00
Go up one level in this thread
On May 05, 2000 at 00:22:19, Eugene Nalimov wrote:
>The executable did not start automatically -- user had to manually run it. I
>beleive that there are 2 factors why there are no such viruses on *nux:
>
>(1) It's much less widespread than Windows (I am not talking about server
>environment/universities).
>(2) Average user knows that's it not a good isea to start unknown executable.
The point, Eugene, is that an operating system or mailer may allow an unknown
executable to start, but it should definitely restrict what it can do. Very
strictly. Certainly the command "nuke the system" should at least lead to a
query ("executable wants to nuke the system -- proceed/cancel"). That is exactly
what the default settings in Windows did not do in the case of the LoveLetter
worm. It even obeyed the command "nuke all stations to which you are connected".
Now they want to go after the "perpetrator". "We must find the culprit and
punish him severely." How? Fine the schoolboy ten billion dollars? Sentence him
to 36,000 years in prison? If some kid sends a message to the Pentagon saying
"attack Moscow", and this actually causes a minuteman to be fired, would we go
after him or the people who made it possible for him to actually fire an
intercontinental missile from his home? We have now learnt, the hard way, that
the Internet Explorer, Outlook, Exchange and Windows will unflinchingly nuke a
remote system if someone tells them to. Our Phillipino schoolboy simply pressed
the button.
Tell your guys that they have two weeks to get proper security for Windows into
place or Janet will come get them.
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