RE: Backdoor not recognized by Kaspersky

[Nick FitzGerald <nick () virus-l demon co uk>]

Thor Larholm wrote:

> SMTP authentication will not do much to stop viruses from spreading.
> Some viruses are already moving away from just implementing their own
> SMTP server to reusing whatever SMTP credentials you have on your
> machine. Having your own SMTP engine is a nice fallback solution just in
> case, but if you can read the users login credentials to his corporate
> mailserver you are far better off.
>
> Imagine us all implementing SPF, Caller ID or Domain Keys - what would
> happen? We would all have to use a mail server that has implemented one
> of these 'solutions'. Naturally, virus writers would then just reuse
> your SMTP login credentials to spew their virus through that same MTA.
>
> Another quick workaround to SPF, Caller ID and Domain Keys has alredy
> been implemented by spammers for a year or so. The only premise behind
> S/C/D is that you are trusted if you have access to a DNS server.
> Spammers are using compromised machines not only as SMTP servers, but
> also web servers and DNS servers. The end result is that spammers have
> already completely circumvented all three solutions way before they were
> ever implemented.

Absolutely.

Add the vast army of machines that are already "under the spell" of one 
or more bot-net agents, spam-bots and various other common backdoors 
and remote control agents, and the situation is not just "already 
circumvented" as Thor suggests, but completely lost.  There is no hope 
of "fixing" the current situation.  Anyone who tries to tell you SPF, 
etc is a solution to anything significant (such as "the spam problem" 
or "the Email worm problem") is not only worryingly short of 
understanding the "problem" they claim (or hint) their preferred 
"solution" will fix, but almost certainly stands to gain something 
(monetarily, polictically, carnally (?), etc) by furthering their 
preferred line of BS.

Thus, it's easy to understand MS pushing something ("Caller-ID for
E-Mail") but the others leave me a bit gob-smacked (other than that 
they seem to be yet further evidence that in general, the lunatics run 
the asylums and/or that for certain folk, when faced with choosing 
between admitting their pet project is fundamentally flawed and racing 
on for some chance of fame and glory, readily dropping any notions they 
once had of technical or any other excellence and chasing the glory is 
the far preferable choice.)


Regards,

Nick FitzGerald

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