12 minutes to PC infection

[NoStop]

If your Windows computer is not properly protected, chances are it will take
all of 12 minutes before it becomes infected, a major security company
says.

Article here:

http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050704.gtvirusjul4/BNStory/Technology/

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

A system can be infected a lot quicker than that if someone is unlucky.

 

[Gordon]

Hi

A system can be infected a lot quicker than that if someone is unlucky.

I accidentally forgot to remove the network cable once when doing a
re-install, and it took about *20* seconds to get infected!

 

[Newport]

Same here, it takes seconds.

--

I accidentally forgot to remove the network cable once when doing a
re-install, and it took about *20* seconds to get infected!

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

And generally happens before setup even completes the installation.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Will Denny]

That's the one Rick - unfortunately.

 

[Leythos]

If your Windows computer is not properly protected, chances are it will take
all of 12 minutes before it becomes infected, a major security company
says.

Article here:

http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050704.gtvirusjul4/BNStory/Technology/

Which is why all DSL/Cable modems should be NAT enabled by default and
only setup with a Public IP when requested by the non-clueless users.

If ISP's or NAT router vendors were to put on a media blitz about the
security benefits of NAT routers (purchased or included in the ISP's
devices), the net would be a lot nicer/faster place.

 

[Richard Urban]

Unfortunately I experienced just this. I had built a new computer for a
customer and loaded the O/S. In my absent mindedness, I plugged in my DSL
connection to the new computer. I started to get the latest Windows Updates.
What a mess I ended up with!

Just for fun, I ran Spybot on the computer. It found over 80 critical
problems along with many not so critical.

I unplugged the DSL and started over (-:

Lessen learned - the hard way.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Leythos]

Unfortunately I experienced just this. I had built a new computer for a
customer and loaded the O/S. In my absent mindedness, I plugged in my DSL
connection to the new computer. I started to get the latest Windows Updates.
What a mess I ended up with!

Just for fun, I ran Spybot on the computer. It found over 80 critical
problems along with many not so critical.

I unplugged the DSL and started over (-:

Lessen learned - the hard way.

Any person/tech doing a build should already know enough to get at least
a simple NAT router to protect their network while doing anything. Even
with a single PC, the NAT router appliance will save your and your
clients asses more than you can imagine.

 

[Richard Urban]

MY computers are connected through a 4 port Linksys router. There are 2
ported leads on my workbench. I didn't use them! I did say, in my absent
mindedness.

I totally bypasses the router and plugged in directly to a phone jack - a
brain fart if you will!

How many will admit they screwed up this way, or worse? Come on now! Lets
hear "your" story. We all have one.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Leythos]

MY computers are connected through a 4 port Linksys router. There are 2
ported leads on my workbench. I didn't use them! I did say, in my absent
mindedness.

I totally bypasses the router and plugged in directly to a phone jack - a
brain fart if you will!

How many will admit they screwed up this way, or worse? Come on now! Lets
hear "your" story. We all have one.

Here's a good one for you, old story, but one I find funny now.

When I setup my first windows 2000 server I named it stormy.com since I
figured I was in for a lot of trouble being it was my first. Everything
was running well, but I kept noticing a lot of DNS hits in my routers
logs. Well, days went by and it appeared that some external IP was
slamming me at about 600 hits per hour, all on DNS.... I called the
owner of the IP, without checking to see what name was attached to the
IP, and was talking to the technician about what his network was doing
to mine.... After a few minutes he mentioned that their domain name was
stormy.com and that his/my DNS servers were trying to replicate with
each other.... Talk about being embarrassed, I killed the server and
never did that again.

 

[Don Taylor]

Unfortunately I experienced just this. I had built a new computer for a
customer and loaded the O/S. In my absent mindedness, I plugged in my DSL
connection to the new computer. I started to get the latest Windows Updates.
What a mess I ended up with!

Just for fun, I ran Spybot on the computer. It found over 80 critical
problems along with many not so critical.

I unplugged the DSL and started over (-:

Lessen learned - the hard way.

Can you explain just a bit more?
You installed the OS,
you went to www.microsoft.com,
you began to do Windows Updates downloads
that was it,
this picked up 80 viruses and scumware
and you didn't do a single thing more than that?

I'm a little surprised but confirming that you made
a single visit on the web and ONLY to www.microsoft.com
was enough to trash the machine will at least make me
understand and believe it.

thanks

 

[Leythos]

Can you explain just a bit more?
You installed the OS,
you went to www.microsoft.com,
you began to do Windows Updates downloads
that was it,
this picked up 80 viruses and scumware
and you didn't do a single thing more than that?

I'm a little surprised but confirming that you made
a single visit on the web and ONLY to www.microsoft.com
was enough to trash the machine will at least make me
understand and believe it.

His unpatched machine was connected directly to the Internet - that's
all it takes. Even if he had not done anything, just sat at the logon
prompt, it would have been compromised.

 

[Richard Urban]

Re-emphasis. I did nothing but go to Windows Updates to download the
necessary critical updates.

It was entirely my fault, as I had secure connections available. I just did
not, for reasons I still can not determine, use them. As I said, a *brain
fart*.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Don,

He exposed an unprotected, unfirewalled system to the internet. It had
nothing to do with what sites Richard was connecting to, it had everything
to do with what was trying to connect with the system. There exists much
active malware on the 'net, and it will attack any attached machine that is
unprotected. The 'net has grown much since it became mainstream, and not all
of it good.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Gordon]

Here's a good one for you, old story, but one I find funny now.

When I setup my first windows 2000 server I named it stormy.com since I
figured I was in for a lot of trouble being it was my first. Everything
was running well, but I kept noticing a lot of DNS hits in my routers
logs. Well, days went by and it appeared that some external IP was
slamming me at about 600 hits per hour, all on DNS.... I called the
owner of the IP, without checking to see what name was attached to the
IP, and was talking to the technician about what his network was doing
to mine.... After a few minutes he mentioned that their domain name was
stormy.com and that his/my DNS servers were trying to replicate with
each other.... Talk about being embarrassed, I killed the server and
never did that again.

LOL!