Security Incidents mailing list archives
Re: Releasing patches is bad for security
From: Valdis.Kletnieks () vt edu
Date: Tue, 02 Mar 2004 11:51:20 -0500
On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 14:40:40 PST, "Dozal, Tim" <tdozal () cisco com> said:
The question to ask yourself is do the vulnerabilities get exploited before or after MS releases the patches. I think for code red/Nimda MS posted a patch and some 300ish days later the worm hit. Then move ahead
Note that there's a major logic flaw in here - "vulnerabilities exploited" is *NOT* the same thing as "worm". Microsoft *wants* you to make that logical error, because they don't want you thinking about all the unpatched holes in IE, and they don't want you thinking about how many black hats have 0-days that they're not attaching to worms because then they'd lose the use of that 0-day. I mean.. *really*.. apply a few neurons. What black hat who didn't just fall out of a tree is going to reveal his 0-day in a worm before it's usefulness has dried up? If anything, the fact that Nimda was 300 days and Blaster was only 18, is proof that: a) The percentage of people patching quickly is going up, *and* b) this means that throwing away your 0-day on "diminishing returns" is happening faster. Obviously, whoever released Nimda was using their 0-day for months after the patch before enough p[eople closed the hole that they said "screw this, this one's gotten lame" and launched a worm. It only took 2 weeks of concentrated patching before the owner of the Blaster 0-day threw in the towel.... Remember why we originally *started* the full-disclosure movement - without it, the vendors won't move and the 0-days will circulate for *years*.
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Current thread:
- RE: Releasing patches is bad for security Mike Barushok (Mar 01)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: Releasing patches is bad for security Valdis . Kletnieks (Mar 01)
- RE: Releasing patches is bad for security Dozal, Tim (Mar 02)
- RE: Releasing patches is bad for security Jerry Shenk (Mar 02)
- Re: Releasing patches is bad for security Valdis . Kletnieks (Mar 03)
- RE: Releasing patches is bad for security Davis, Kyle (Mar 02)
- RE: Releasing patches is bad for security Dozal, Tim (Mar 03)
- RE: Releasing patches is bad for security James P. Saveker (Mar 03)
- RE: Releasing patches is bad for security Dozal, Tim (Mar 03)
- Dead Thread: Releasing patches is bad for security Dan Hanson (Mar 03)