Worm Infects Millions of Computers Worldwide

[libssd]

"In recent weeks a worm, a malicious software program, has swept through corporate, educational and public computer networks around the world. Known as Conficker or Downadup, it is spread by a recently discovered Microsoft Windows vulnerability, by guessing network passwords and by hand-carried consumer gadgets like USB keys."

Full story at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/techn ... nted=print

Security is one of the main reasons I went with a Linux AAO, rather than Windows.

 

[daldred]

To be strictly fair, Microsoft did issue a security patch for this in October (I think); but of course that only works of people are running a legitimate copy of Windows and if they update regularly.

However, if even one machine in a network is hit by the worm, it can apparently spread itself to others within the network even if they are patched (as reported here); that's not good!