Re: Code Red the Dracula of worms?

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

Forwarded from: "Jay D. Dyson" <jdyson () treachery net>

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On Tue, 28 Aug 2001, InfoSec News wrote: 

> A new permutation of the Code Red II worm was discovered on Friday, and
> experts say that Code Red is now unlikely ever to disappear. 

        I seem to recall the ill-informed saying the same thing about the
Morris worm in the 1980s.  Anyone had that worm knocking on their ports
lately?

> "This is pretty much noise level for Code Red II and CodeRed.d--it's not
> going to get any better or worse and will stay like this forever,"  said
> Thompson. "Those machines that have not yet been patched never will be,
> meaning that the worm is here to stay." 

        Anyone who uses words like "forever" and "never" in this volatile
world of rapidly-changing technology only demonstrates how ill-informed
they are.  The notion that systems that haven't been patched "never will
be" is a presumption based more on frustration than fact.  And the notion
of permanence of *any* technology or problem (beyond their mere generic
existence of phenomena) demonstrates an incomprehensible lack of
understanding not only of computer history, but history itself. 

> According to Thompson, four to five new worms are created by accident
> on the Internet every day

        By *accident*?  I'd love to see examples of this.

- -Jay

  (    (                                                          _______
  ))   ))   .--"There's always time for a good cup of coffee"--.   >====<--.
C|~~|C|~~| (>------ Jay D. Dyson -- jdyson () treachery net ------<) |    = |-'
 `--' `--'  `-------- Real men prefer full disclosure. --------'  `------'

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