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Computer Virus Assaulting Microsoft Users
Aired August 12, 2003 - 13:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well a computer virus exploiting what security experts are calling a dangerous flaw in Microsoft software and your computer could catch it. Our technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg here to explain to us how to protect ourselves.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. That's right. This flaw was actually discovered or reported about a month ago. But it's only now that this worm is starting to exploit it. And security experts say that this virus-like infection is targeting a Microsoft Web site where people download patches to block such worms.
Now they don't agree what to call it yet. Some are referring to it as the "LoveSan" worm. Others, the "W-32 Blaster." In any case, the new worm designed to take over computers and coordinate an electronic assault against Microsoft. This is commonly referred to as a "denial of service attack" and it's programmed to start on Saturday.
Now tens of thousands of computers could potentially be infected. At this point, it's not disrupting Internet traffic on the whole, though it could as the worm continued to spread. Essentially could bog the Internet down, though there's no evidence of that on a large scale.
Now I spoke with one security expert who says that home users are vulnerable if you haven't patched your home system. The operating systems affected are newer ones like Windows 2000, NT, 4.0 and XP. Because the worm sends itself out, it doesn't require anyone to open an attachment or forward an e-mail. It's fairly invisible to the user, thus, making it rather difficult to detect.
Now if your machine is sluggish, then you may be infected. Right now, this worm does not allow remote access by a hacker. It also doesn't destroy or delete anyone's information on your PC. And patching your system is really the only way to prevent an infection. It's best to check with security companies or visit the Microsoft Web site, which is the shame one the worm is try to shut down beginning on Saturday.
And because this software hole was first reported nearly a month ago, security experts believed that most corporations have already patched their networks, and Internet providers are already finding a ways to slow it down or filter out to begin with. So, they're trying to be proactive, in a sense.
PHILLIPS: So is this a joke, is this malicious, is this just absolutely annoying for all of us? SIEBERG: You know, it's all of those things, actually, Kyra. Certainly people say that you should take this particular vulnerable and this worm seriously. But the creators of it appear to have a bit of a sense of humor.
The -- embedded in the code of the worm itself is this text -- which you can see here. It says, "I just want to say, LOVE YOU SAN," -- that's where Love You San, the name of it comes from. And it says, "Billy Gates," referring to the head of Microsoft, "why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software!!"
So a little bit of tongue in cheek involved with this particular worm. And one of the security experts I talked to also said, I don't think the world is going to end with this particular worm, but, he says it's very serious in the sense people definitely go out there and to patch your computer.
The Microsoft site, by the way is almost overloaded at this point because so many people are going there to do it. It's slow to get on but it's important to get there and do it.
PHILLIPS: Daniel Sieberg, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 12, 2003 - 13:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well a computer virus exploiting what security experts are calling a dangerous flaw in Microsoft software and your computer could catch it. Our technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg here to explain to us how to protect ourselves.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. That's right. This flaw was actually discovered or reported about a month ago. But it's only now that this worm is starting to exploit it. And security experts say that this virus-like infection is targeting a Microsoft Web site where people download patches to block such worms.
Now they don't agree what to call it yet. Some are referring to it as the "LoveSan" worm. Others, the "W-32 Blaster." In any case, the new worm designed to take over computers and coordinate an electronic assault against Microsoft. This is commonly referred to as a "denial of service attack" and it's programmed to start on Saturday.
Now tens of thousands of computers could potentially be infected. At this point, it's not disrupting Internet traffic on the whole, though it could as the worm continued to spread. Essentially could bog the Internet down, though there's no evidence of that on a large scale.
Now I spoke with one security expert who says that home users are vulnerable if you haven't patched your home system. The operating systems affected are newer ones like Windows 2000, NT, 4.0 and XP. Because the worm sends itself out, it doesn't require anyone to open an attachment or forward an e-mail. It's fairly invisible to the user, thus, making it rather difficult to detect.
Now if your machine is sluggish, then you may be infected. Right now, this worm does not allow remote access by a hacker. It also doesn't destroy or delete anyone's information on your PC. And patching your system is really the only way to prevent an infection. It's best to check with security companies or visit the Microsoft Web site, which is the shame one the worm is try to shut down beginning on Saturday.
And because this software hole was first reported nearly a month ago, security experts believed that most corporations have already patched their networks, and Internet providers are already finding a ways to slow it down or filter out to begin with. So, they're trying to be proactive, in a sense.
PHILLIPS: So is this a joke, is this malicious, is this just absolutely annoying for all of us? SIEBERG: You know, it's all of those things, actually, Kyra. Certainly people say that you should take this particular vulnerable and this worm seriously. But the creators of it appear to have a bit of a sense of humor.
The -- embedded in the code of the worm itself is this text -- which you can see here. It says, "I just want to say, LOVE YOU SAN," -- that's where Love You San, the name of it comes from. And it says, "Billy Gates," referring to the head of Microsoft, "why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software!!"
So a little bit of tongue in cheek involved with this particular worm. And one of the security experts I talked to also said, I don't think the world is going to end with this particular worm, but, he says it's very serious in the sense people definitely go out there and to patch your computer.
The Microsoft site, by the way is almost overloaded at this point because so many people are going there to do it. It's slow to get on but it's important to get there and do it.
PHILLIPS: Daniel Sieberg, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
