Are you so shy and insecure that... you are scared of rejection in the world of security updates? By Peter M. Abraham November 2003 Did you know that our server firewall and intrusion detection system catches anywhere from one to ten personal computers as being infected with Trojans and worms PER DAY! Sometimes the owners of the personal computers just have them mis-configured. They may have a Groupwise server for email within their local area network; and, they just happened to have that one PC pointed to our email server rather than their Groupwise email server. But more often than not, the personal computer's) involved are infected with a worm or Trojan (aka a computer virus). In 2003 alone, we've seen thousands of personal computers infected left and right. It causes me to wonder, is it because the owners are so shy and insecure about running Windows Update, Office Update, or updating their machines... that in the process they cause themselves and others around them more damage than good? An infected machine can cause serious damage to other machines; and, can incur momentary costs for the owners of those machines. Here's a recent tidbit about how a Trojan-infected machine can send out more than 100,000 SPAM email messages each day: Telia blocks spam-sending Zombie PCs November 4, 2003 Internet service provider (ISP) TeliaSonera, leading telecommunications group in for the Nordic and Baltic areas, announced plans to immediately block--without warning--Internet traffic to and from Trojan-infected computers sending spam. TeliaSonera is the first European ISP to take such a step; most ISPs just block traffic on specific ports. British ISP NTL, for example, began blocking port 135 on its Internet traffic to guard against the Welchia and Blaster worms. A Trojan-infected computer can send more that 100,000 spams a day.   It is not just about SPAM.  If you let your computer get infected, your machine may be involved in downing the entire Internet (talk about one vote making a difference!): E-Mail Under Attack Again as Mimail Virus Spreads Mon Nov 3, 2:50 PM ET A new e-mail virus that exploits vulnerabilities in the Outlook program has been infecting computers worldwide since Friday, affecting both business and home users. ... Internet Traffic Jam At this point, home users are more at risk than enterprises, but Hughes noted that if enough home machines get infected, the worm will reach further into businesses, since many workers send and receive messages from both addresses. According to Network Associates, infected users may notice excessive Internet activity from their machine or a possible lag in Internet usage, either from the mass-mailing component or from the secondary actions of the virus sending data to a remote site. Just in today, November 12, is news that personal computers that are infected are now fueling a new cyber crime wave: Zombie Machines Fueling New Cyber Crime Wave The rapid growth of broadband home computer connections may be inadvertently fueling what police suspect could be the start of a new crime wave -- cyber-blackmail. As more homes connect to faster delivery systems, their computers are becoming vulnerable to hackers and virus writers who can turn them into "zombie" machines, ready to carry out any malevolent command. If you've not already said it to yourself before now, you are probably saying statements like the following: I'm a Dynamic Net, Inc. (DNI) Parallels H-Sphere customer, and DNI scans for viruses; I have nothing to worry about. I have virus scanning software on my personal computer; I have nothing to worry about. My cable modem came with a firewall (or I installed one separately); I have nothing to worry about. I'm a dial-up user; I have nothing to worry about. Trojans?  Don't they sell those in drug stores? I just got the flu shot; I have nothing to worry about. It is sad that none of the statements above matter. Yes, our Parallels H-Sphere mail server updates its virus definitions every hour; and is up to protecting against 10,131 known virus.  We also block a number of attachment types prone to carry viruses such as screen savers and PIF files. However, no virus system is completely fool proof.  That includes any that you may run on your personal computer. Firewalls, while a complete necessity for ALL Internet users now a days.  However, firewalls require regular updates.  Like anti-virus systems, firewalls are not fool proof.  Furthermore, firewalls allow email to your system, allow you to browse the Web; and therefore can allow many types of virus through to your system. Dial up users are just as vulnerable to virus infection as cable modem users.  A dynamic IP address (a different machine address each time you connect to the Internet) is no protection against infection. What can you do? Make sure you keep your operating system (AKA Windows, Macintosh, etc.) up to date. You can keep those applications you use on a regular basis such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Eudora, etc. up to date. You can install a firewall if you don't already have one.  For personal computers, we recommend Norton Personal Firewall. You can install and keep up to date your own anti-virus software.  For personal computers, we recommend Norton Anti-Virus. Here are some recent security updates:   Recent security updates as of Wednesday, November 12, 2003: - Eudora From and Reply-To Buffer Overflow Vulnerability, Eudora Denial of Service and Information Disclosure Vulnerabilities - Multiple Microsoft Office updates - Multiple Windows operating system updates For those of you managing servers accessible to the Internet, please consider contacting our sister company, We Manage Servers to keep your servers up to date with security and other mission critical updates. Thank you.