Huge virus threat rocks Microsoft

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: EEkid () aol com
Date: January 3, 2006 2:02:17 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Huge virus threat rocks Microsoft

Mr. Farber,

This can't be a new discovery, I witnessed a virus infection from  
simply visiting a web page well over a year ago.

Jerry

Huge virus threat rocks Microsoft
Report says a newly discovered flaw could expose hundreds of millions  
of Windows PCs to virus.

January 3, 2006: 11:08 AM EST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - The new year is off to a rocky start at  
Microsoft, where security experts are scrambling to confront a  
potentially massive virus threat to Windows PCs.

According to a report Tuesday in the Financial Times, the latest  
vulnerability involves a flaw which allows hackers to infect  
computers using programs inserted into image files. The threat was  
discovered last week. But it mushroomed over the weekend, when a  
group of hackers published the source code they used to exploit the  
flaw.

What makes this threat particularly vicious, according to the Times,  
is that unwitting victims can infect their computers simply by  
viewing a web page, e-mail, or instant message that includes a  
contaminated image. That differs from most virus attacks, which  
require a user to actually download an infected file.

"The potential [security threat] is huge," Mikko Hypponen, chief  
research officer at F-Secure, an antivirus company, told the Times.  
"It's probably bigger than for any other vulnerability we've seen.

"Any version of Windows is vulnerable right now," said Mr. Hypponen,  
including every Windows system shipped since 1990.

Microsoft (Research) said in a security bulletin on its Web site, "we  
are working closely with our antivirus partners and aiding law  
enforcement in its investigation."


http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/03/technology/windows_virusthreat/ 
index.htm?cnn=yes


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