Security worries abound for Microsoft Windows users in 2004 




"For computer security experts, 2003 started with the Slammer Internet worm and went downhill from there. The year, which included four major worm and virus outbreaks in August alone, has been labeled the 'year of the worm' and 'the worst year ever' by more than one computer security expert," Paul Roberts reports for IDG News Service. "All that activity meant good news for antivirus software companies such as Symantec. It was bad news for organizations of all kinds, which expended precious resources disinfecting everything from desktop workstations to airline reservation systems and ATM networks that were hobbled by virus outbreaks."

"Will 2004 bring more of the same, or will it be remembered as the year in which Internet users 'took back the streets' from virus writers, malicious hackers, and spammers? Microsoft's operating systems and products will continue to be targeted by hackers and virus writers in 2004... Security exploits relying on buffer overflows in Microsoft product code will still be the most common avenue of attack. Hackers are also exploring 'internal' vulnerabilities in Windows, like the Remote Procedure Call security holes that produced Blaster, as well as Microsoft's .Net Web services framework, Internet Information Server Web server, and Windows 2003 Server, according to one exploit writer who uses the online handle 'wirepair,'" Roberts reports.

"The wealth of new, unexplored code for .Net makes it fertile ground for hackers, agrees Mikko Hypponen, director of antivirus research at F-Secure in Helsinki. 'One thing that's interesting about attacks in an environment like .Net is that a successful worm will hit multiple platforms: desktops, laptops, as well as mobile phones and [personal digital assistants],' he says," Roberts reports.
 

Posted: Fri - January 2, 2004 at 09:20 PM        

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