Are You Prepared for the Kama Sutra Worm Attack on Friday?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the potential impact of the Kama Sutra worm, also known as Nyxem.E, which is expected to propagate on February 3. Participants explore the implications for businesses and individual users, the response from Microsoft, and the effectiveness of network security measures in preventing the spread of the worm.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express concern about the potential for a traffic spike due to the Kama Sutra worm and highlight the uncertainty regarding the number of infected hosts.
  • There is a suggestion that infected computers could potentially be detected before the worm begins to propagate, raising questions about the effectiveness of current security measures.
  • Participants discuss Microsoft's strategy of withholding a removal tool until the infection occurs, with some speculating that this is a marketing tactic to promote the next version of Windows.
  • Concerns are raised about the responsibility of system administrators and the general user base in managing security, with some arguing that many users lack administrative oversight.
  • There is a mention of the role of networks in containing the spread of worms, suggesting that proper network security can mitigate propagation risks.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of opinions regarding the effectiveness of current security practices and the motivations behind Microsoft's actions. There is no clear consensus on the best approach to managing the threat posed by the Kama Sutra worm.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note the limitations of current detection capabilities and the potential for varying levels of preparedness among businesses and users. The discussion reflects uncertainty about the actual scale of the threat and the effectiveness of proposed responses.

Math Is Hard
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o:) Watch out for those dirty emails on Friday:
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6031881.html
Businesses have been warned to brace themselves for a possible traffic spike next week caused by the Kama Sutra worm.

The virus, dubbed Nyxem.E among other names, was first reported on Jan. 16. It is thought to have infected more than half a million PCs. Security vendor IronPort warned Thursday that these machines are now hard-coded to propagate the virus on Feb. 3.
The Internet community will not know the scale of the February attack until it occurs. "It depends on how many hosts are infected," Steer said. "At the moment it's just sitting there quietly, and we won't know how many home users have been infected until Feb. 3."

Businesses should warn their employees not to open suspicious e-mails, and to know what these e-mails may look like. "The subject lines may contain some references to pornography--fairly typical stuff," Steer said.
 
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Uh oh, now we'll know quickly enough who is opening emails about porn on their work computers. :rolleyes: If the computers are already infected, and they know what it is, can't they detect it now, before it starts propagating?
 
Microsoft's response is pretty good:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=DKSDTPBSRN2R0QSNDBCCKHSCJUMEKJVN?articleID=177105799

Basically, they have the sofware but they won't be releasing the removal tool until the infection hits.

I think this move is simply a way for Microsoft to push their next version of windows which should come out before the holiday seasons. They are going to say that Windows XP has a lot of security problems so you should upgrade.
 
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dduardo said:
They are going to say that Windows XP has a lot of security problems so you should upgrade.
:smile: Only microsoft could get away with a marketing strategy like that..."Our last product was a piece of crap, so you should buy our new product." :smile:
 
Moonbear said:
:smile: Only microsoft could get away with a marketing strategy like that..."Our last product was a piece of crap, so you should buy our new product." :smile:


That is quite literally how they sold XP home edition. "Yeah, Windows ME was a piece of crap, so you really need XP."
 
If the computers are already infected, and they know what it is, can't they detect it now, before it starts propagating?

Too many admins are sloppy... yeh they probably could contain it...
 
Anttech said:
Too many admins are sloppy... yeh they probably could contain it...


Most PCs don't have admins. Just users.
 
Networks are what stop worms propagating, you can contain worms very easily from popogating across the www.
 

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