Win2000 SP4 on Dial-Up only infected in 2 days

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
So my win2000 SP4 with no third party internet-security or antiviral stuff got infected in just 2 days. Total time on just dial-up internet surfing is about say 8 hours total, off and on through the 2 day period.



I did a fresh install about 2 days ago for fun and to clean out junk.



My family and I have an iBook g4 933mhz as our 'real computer' so this old win2000 is my fun box for now. I was able to set up wireless computer-to-computer networking between the mac and windows through samba. good fun.



even better fun was suddenly noticing a "Shrek_2.exe" file on my windows2000 desktop just in the past few minutes. Ah, good times.



my goodness windows really sucks security-wise. and this is latest windows 2000 SP4 loaded. only firefox and thunderbird has been used to access external websites, as far as i know.
«1

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 27
    sunilramansunilraman Posts: 8,133member
    nope it was not dial-up, because i did some research and the worm is spread through email, i think you HAVE to open the attachment.



    it was the network share. worm also spreads through network shares (so basically within hours of me playing with a local wireless computer-to-computer 802.11 network, a worm infected the windows2000 sp4 machine.



    means computers within 802.11b range of my win2000 machine (probably my neighbours with infected peecees, connected to my win2000 workgroup and placed a payload on the desktop, which was my only shared folder).



    bloody hell. this is unbelievable. and people still use windows. one of my neighbours has pretty good antivirus setup, so i wonder where else it could have come from.
  • Reply 2 of 27
    gene cleangene clean Posts: 3,481member
    Enough with your anti-Windows zealotry already. We know you don't like Windows, and we know that you are running an OS that came out almost 5 years ago.



    This is getting boring.
  • Reply 3 of 27
    What does the fact that the OS is 5 years old have anything to do with it? The simple fact is that security was never a priority until they decided to work on SP2 for XP.
  • Reply 4 of 27
    gene cleangene clean Posts: 3,481member
    And we know that. We also know that it's not as pretty os OS X, it's not as stable as OS X, and that it doesn't offer much with a clean install.



    A 5 year old OS has a lot to do with one's security, because new tools have been developed by hackers in the course of those 5 years, whereas the OS has stayed pretty much the same (except Service Packs, which usually cause more trouble than fix anything).



    So you're comparing an evolutionary movement (hackers) to a constant rock (OS).



    Windows is not nearly as safe as many other OS's around, and I doubt it will ever be. It's in a sad state in fact - with regard to security - but it's here and it's not going away soon. So, bitching about it all the time seems hardly interesting to me.



    Compare Win2000 to what Apple had to offer in 2000, as well as what Linux had to offer and then state the results. I don't like Microsofts policies either, neither do I like Windows much, but this constant bickering has really reached its limits. Really.
  • Reply 5 of 27
    sunilramansunilraman Posts: 8,133member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gene Clean

    And we know that. We also know that it's not as pretty os OS X, it's not as stable as OS X, and that it doesn't offer much with a clean install.



    A 5 year old OS has a lot to do with one's security, because new tools have been developed by hackers in the course of those 5 years, whereas the OS has stayed pretty much the same (except Service Packs, which usually cause more trouble than fix anything).



    So you're comparing an evolutionary movement (hackers) to a constant rock (OS).



    Windows is not nearly as safe as many other OS's around, and I doubt it will ever be. It's in a sad state in fact - with regard to security - but it's here and it's not going away soon. So, bitching about it all the time seems hardly interesting to me.



    Compare Win2000 to what Apple had to offer in 2000, as well as what Linux had to offer and then state the results. I don't like Microsofts policies either, neither do I like Windows much, but this constant bickering has really reached its limits. Really.




    fair enough, i respect that. this concludes my ranting on this matter.
  • Reply 6 of 27
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    It would be interesting to do an experiment to see how long it would take, using the internet for, say, 3 hours a day, on a Windows machine with no anti-anything protection, for that machine to become completely crippled.



    The only problem is that you'd have to open attachments that most people would open, thereby helping to spread said worms to others. I personally wouldn't want to take that risk for the experiment.



    So I'll just keep using my Mac and be happy.
  • Reply 7 of 27
    the cool gutthe cool gut Posts: 1,714member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gene Clean



    So you're comparing an evolutionary movement (hackers) to a constant rock (OS).




    MS still supports Windows 2000, and it is deployed widely, so you can cut the baloney in terms of "constant rock" Everyone knows that MS security is a joke, and that is the reason for quick infections.



    I mean, for God's sake, XP was as porous as swish cheese until SP2.
  • Reply 8 of 27
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    God, what a piece of crap. You executed malicious code and the code worked!



    WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE!?
  • Reply 9 of 27
    I run Windows 2000 and I really haven't had any problems. Keeping it updated and not running as Administrator seems to help a bit.
  • Reply 10 of 27
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    That's a lie. Your computer doesn't even work right now. Mac users said so.
  • Reply 11 of 27
    sunilramansunilraman Posts: 8,133member
    Grove, i may have to ask you to check your attitude.



    Grove, i had earlier thought i'd let this thread slide, i posted because i was just really surpised that within 2 hours of setting up a computer-to-computer 802.11b network the windows2000 machine got infected. it was not really connected to the internet but windows sharing was on, my only shared folder was the desktop.



    I did not execute any payload, the "file" Shrek_2.exe popped up on the desktop, which was the only folder i was Sharing.



    I thought it was infected through dial-up but the worm requires you to open the attachment in email. The worm also acts through vulnerabilities in file Sharing, so that's how i suspect it was placed through windows file sharing.



    Yes, i was logged in as Administrator with password blank (as in no password), it's just really suprising that some pee cee within wireless range was able to lock on to my windows2000 pc (my only other computer in the house is an iBook) and drop the payload



    I apologise to anyone if my microsoft-bashing was a bit emotional, i've cooled down a bit, but am a bit chagrined by some posts here. again, i thought i'd chill a bit, but i'm back here on this thread to clarify the above points
  • Reply 12 of 27
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by sunilraman

    Yes, i was logged in as Administrator with password blank (as in no password), it's just really suprising that some pee cee within wireless range was able to lock on to my windows2000 pc (my only other computer in the house is an iBook) and drop the payload



    I really don't understand how you can say something like "Grove, i may have to ask you to check your attitude." and "pee cee" in the same post.

    Pee cee. Like pee pee. A urine joke. What the hell?



    You enabled file-sharing and left a computer logged in with full and complete access to everything with absolutely no password. How on earth can Microsoft be blamed for that?



    And "somone pee cee within wireless range"? What kind of security is your wireless network running? Is it an Airport base station that allowed this "pee cee" to just jump in and throw stuff around your network?



    PEBCAK
  • Reply 13 of 27
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gene Clean

    Windows is not nearly as safe as many other OS's around, and I doubt it will ever be. It's in a sad state in fact - with regard to security - but it's here and it's not going away soon. So, bitching about it all the time seems hardly interesting to me.





    true, I think that Microsoft is where apple was 5 years ago, they have an over aged and ludicrusly swolen and buggy codebase, and they have reached a fork in the road, do they continue using the NT4->2k->xp codebase or do they pull an Apple and just dump it and start over from scratch building a very secure and moddern opperating system that could serve as a model to the software industry, Apple and Microsoft chose opposit roads at this fork, and microsoft is now attempting to repair the titanic with one welding tourch and duct tape, they call this longhorn, most industry insiders call it a long shot at best.
  • Reply 14 of 27
    sunilramansunilraman Posts: 8,133member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by groverat

    I really don't understand how you can say something like "Grove, i may have to ask you to check your attitude." and "pee cee" in the same post.

    Pee cee. Like pee pee. A urine joke. What the hell?



    You enabled file-sharing and left a computer logged in with full and complete access to everything with absolutely no password. How on earth can Microsoft be blamed for that?



    And "somone pee cee within wireless range"? What kind of security is your wireless network running? Is it an Airport base station that allowed this "pee cee" to just jump in and throw stuff around your network?



    PEBCAK




    okay Groverat, let's de-escalate, i dont wanna get too hot and bothered about this and i respect the moderating work y'all do... i understand using "pee cee" is a bit juvenile and i don't wanna get all high and mighty



    yes, the win2000 machine was pretty unprotected, which would be the fault of moi.



    there was also no wireless network security-- there was no base station, the 802.11b card on the pc was in ad-hoc mode with a visible ssid and no WEP \



    like i said i was just surprised that "some pc within wireless range", that is anything from just 1-5 computers in some neighbour's house, was able to scan the computer-to-computer adhoc network ssid, associate, and drop the payload. i was surprised because (a) it was just within 2 hours when i set up network that i saw infection and (b) my 802.11b card in the PC has pretty poor range but obviously not as poor range as i thought



    peace.
  • Reply 15 of 27
    the cool gutthe cool gut Posts: 1,714member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by sunilraman

    I apologise to anyone if my microsoft-bashing was a bit emotional, i've cooled down a bit, but am a bit chagrined by some posts here. again, i thought i'd chill a bit, but i'm back here on this thread to clarify the above points [/B]



    You've got to understand. The Wintel powerhouse is but a shadow of it's former self. Linux, OSX, IBM's G5 are taking their toll. Microsoft had a fucking wrap up party for Longhorn 2 years ago for gods sake. The situation is desperate.



    And to top it off, all the Wintel fans laughed at Apple all through the G4 problems, and OSX transition. And now they find themselves in a more pathetic position then Apple has EVER been in.



    Now here we are. April 29th will make the Mac the superior platform bar none. MS isn't even in the same league anymore. They blew it, it's over, done - the fat lady is singing.



    So how can you not expect some to be a little "emotional" in response to your posts?
  • Reply 16 of 27
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by the cool gut

    Microsoft had a fucking wrap up party for Longhorn 2 years ago for gods sake.



    I am going to have to call bullshit on this.



    Quote:

    The situation is desperate.



    That is absurd.



    Quote:

    And to top it off, all the Wintel fans laughed at Apple all through the G4 problems, and OSX transition. And now they find themselves in a more pathetic position then Apple has EVER been in.



    Is it "Wintel fans" or "Microsoft" that is the "a more pathetic position than Apple has EVER been in."



    Because not long ago Apple's immediate future was in serious question. I would refer you to a certain Bill Gates looming large of Steve's shoulder.



    Microsoft pulls in $4 billion profits in a quarter. That's more than Apple does in sales.



    If there is any decline it is Apple out of any kind of serious computing arena and into a purely consumer, digital music niche as people buy iPods to listen to and Mac minis to power them. This is fine (I think it's a wonderful setup, as evidenced of my purchase of both for my mother), but do not pretend Apple is a serious player against Microsoft.



    Quote:

    MS isn't even in the same league anymore.



    Out of this paragraph, this is the only true sentence. MS is not in the same league as Apple, it is completely different, more powerful and much much more diverse.





    Quote:

    So how can you not expect some to be a little "emotional" in response to your posts?



    I really don't understand what sense this makes.

    Tell me, cool gut, do you think I am an "emotional" defender of Microsoft in the same way the majority of this board is "emotional" it its devotion to Apple?



    Absolutely not.
  • Reply 17 of 27
    the cool gutthe cool gut Posts: 1,714member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by groverat

    I am going to have to call bullshit on this.



    LOL! http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/09..._gold_release/







    Quote:

    That is absurd.



    That's reality.



    Quote:

    Is it "Wintel fans" or "Microsoft" that is the "a more pathetic position than Apple has EVER been in."



    Microsoft, but they're dragging their fans down with them.



    Quote:

    Because not long ago Apple's immediate future was in serious question. I would refer you to a certain Bill Gates looming large of Steve's shoulder.



    I took that into consideration before making the above statement.



    Quote:

    Microsoft pulls in $4 billion profits in a quarter. That's more than Apple does in sales.



    Whoopie do. The reality is that they have been unable to expand outside the OS, which Apple has succeeded at. XBOX, web TV, fuck .NET they keep failing to find new revenue streams. How much longer do you think people will keep buying Office for?



    Quote:

    If there is any decline it is Apple out of any kind of serious computing arena



    OSX is in more supercomputers than Windows is ( which is none) so you may want to rethink that one again.



    Quote:

    purely consumer, digital music niche as people buy iPods to listen to and Mac minis to power them .... but do not pretend Apple is a serious player against Microsoft.



    You don't think MS wants the same market? Taking out the WMA format is merely the first step.



    Quote:

    MS is not in the same league as Apple, it is completely different, more powerful and much much more diverse.



    Powerful? How? All their power couldn't stop the XBOX from flopping, Apple clearly has far more influence in the market place - that's power.



    Quote:

    Tell me, cool gut, do you think I am an "emotional" defender of Microsoft in the same way the majority of this board is "emotional" it its devotion to Apple?



    I don't find you all that emotional. I was referring to sunilraman's comments about previous posts where he said it got emotional, I and stated how can you not expect them to be, and cited reasons why.
  • Reply 18 of 27
    sunilramansunilraman Posts: 8,133member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by the cool gut

    I don't find you all that emotional. I was referring to sunilraman's comments about previous posts where he said it got emotional.....



    hmm... i was also admitting that I was the one that got emotional in my first few posts here, mainly from shock of the worm infection... i'm now simmered down to mild surprise, such as several months ago as i discovered many a 'default' unprotected wireless network with people not bothering to change their default router passwords, etc... all around my parent's old neighbourhood (living with the folks now \ ) ah, it's not all that bad, mum's cooking rocks for the most part.
  • Reply 19 of 27
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by the cool gut

    LOL! http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/09..._gold_release/



    "wrap up party"?



    It's a Register story about planning for a "gold" release party. I can't find anything else about this anywhere.



    I'm still going to have to call bullshit, at least a melodramatic exaggeration about the purpose of the party.



    Quote:

    I took that into consideration before making the above statement.



    And you just dismiss the fact that Microsoft has done nothing in the last decade or two except be a booming financial success while Apple has repeatedly brushed with death? On what grounds?



    Quote:

    How much longer do you think people will keep buying Office for?



    Why would people stop buying Office?

    Why would people stop buying Windows?



    You can't just "whoopdie doo" away the fact that Microsoft is a blue-chip and Apple is a rollercoaster.



    Quote:

    OSX is in more supercomputers than Windows is ( which is none) so you may want to rethink that one again.



    What kind of market is supercomputers?

    I can see the point, but is that really something Apple finds vital to its business model? Absolutely not. Neither Microsoft nor Apple are major players in that kind of thing.



    In business servers & workstations, who wins? (It's not even a contest.)

    In mainstream education, who wins? (Apple is pretty much giving away what it has left of the market because their service is garbage.)

    In home computing, who wins? (Again, no contest.)



    Quote:

    You don't think MS wants the same market? Taking out the WMA format is merely the first step.



    Sure, but Microsoft isn't going to exist solely (or even mostly) for that market. It will be just another thing they do. Whereas it is literally Apple's lifeblood.



    And that's fine for Apple. Hooray for them. I hope they do very very well. But in the meantime let's not pretend that they are a player anywhere near Microsoft's level.



    Quote:

    Powerful? How? All their power couldn't stop the XBOX from flopping, Apple clearly has far more influence in the market place - that's power.



    Two different thoughts:

    1 - On what grounds has the XBox "flopped"? (I'm speaking as a Nintendo whore, keep in mind.)

    2 - What the hell does "influence in the market place" mean? If you mean as far as designing the cases that enclose consumer hardware, sure. As far as anything else, you're insane.

    It's like you just want to imagine that nothing outside of Apple exists. It's that myopic view that led them to come around 5 years late and go, "Oh... people want music on their computers?" and then Apple zealots insist that Apple has once again led the way into digital convergence.



    Meanwhile Windows media center set-top boxes have been churning out recorded shows to DVD and wireless streaming of video and pictures from Windows computers for a few years now while Apple hasn't done a damned thing. And in 5 years when Apple decides to try it out, Apple zealots will say "what vision Apple has!"
  • Reply 20 of 27
    gene cleangene clean Posts: 3,481member
    Quote:

    Meanwhile Windows media center set-top boxes have been churning out recorded shows to DVD and wireless streaming of video and pictures from Windows computers for a few years now while Apple hasn't done a damned thing. And in 5 years when Apple decides to try it out, Apple zealots will say "what vision Apple has!"



    True, true.





    Let's be clear about this, although this is not what the topic is about, Apple, both as a company and as a platform, is in no way a threat to Microsoft. Microsoft doesn't make MP3 players, therefore, counting iPod is not valid because they just don't compete in those markets.



    In the software area, Microsoft wins.

    In the server area, Microsoft wins (but loses to Linux).

    In the 'digital lifestyle' area, Microsoft wins with its Media Center PC.

    In the gaming area, Microsoft wins.



    How exactly, is Apple a threat?



    The only threat to Microsoft right now is Linux. And that's only in Servers where it leads and in places that need serious computer power. Linux in the desktop is doing fine, but not good enough to be a threat to Microsoft, whereas Apple with its Mac OS X playing only in PPC is not even a contender in that area. Not everybody wants to buy a special version of hardware (with a high price-tag) just to run Mac OS X.



    Market share is not only numbers, it's also about mindshare. Ask 10 random people in the street what OS they know and prefere, and I'm sure 8 out of 10 will tell you it's Windows. 1 out of 10 may be a Linux guy (some geek ) and the other 1, well, it may happen to be a Mac dude, and it may not...





    ...with all due respect for Apple and it's design, it's just not a threat to Microsoft. Its CEO has even acknowledged that. 'We are going to be a better Windows citizen with Tiger' - while speaking about Samba.



    When you say you're gonna be a better Windows citizen, you're automatically admitting who's The King.
Sign In or Register to comment.