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Re: Hard data on network impact of the "Code Red" worm?

  • From: Sean Donelan
  • Date: Mon Jul 30 19:32:21 2001

On Mon, 30 July 2001, Christian Kuhtz wrote:
> Your logic is flawed.  If this was true, zombie networks would be largely 
> ineffective.  The current mutation is nothing more than an automated zombie
> distribution network, with all fun options of current zombie networks such as
> remote control, remote upgrades etc...
> 
> You may want to read up on the details of this one, like the presentation at
> the bottom of http://www.digitalisland.net/codered/

If "code red" is nothing more than what we've been seeing for years,
why the special CNN reports every half-hour, and the joint press
conference with our fearless leaders today?  What makes "code red"
so extrodinary it merits this special response, when previous
"zombie" networks didn't?  I have a hard time seeing how "Code Red"
will ever live up to the advance hype on August 1.  Is Don King
managing the pay-per-view for this event?  Michelangelo Vs. Code Red.

Why don't we just have an annual, lets update your Microsoft software
patches day.  Every year the press can get on the bandwagon and
remind us about changing the batteries in our smoke detectors and
downloading the latest patches.

There are a lot of flawed systems out there.  Downloading a couple
of patches for "Code Red" isn't enough to protect your system from
all the other things.  I'm worried the joint press release is doing
a disservice if people have a false sense of security because they
protected themselves from "code red."

On the other hand, will wednesday really be that much different from
any other wednesday with the normal thousdand DDOS attacks happening,
and normal spam, and normal e-mail/macro viruses, and normal zombies?

I think its a bit premature to predict the end of the Internet on
August 1.