Reply With QuoteI JUST read about this before coming back to the site. More proof that Im glad I dont use Windows @ home.....
Of course remaining mindful that Linux isnt fool proof...
Here's something I find very interesting and odd.
Virus writers have unleashed the first program that infects 64-bit
Windows files, antivirus firm Symantec said Monday.
The virus, dubbed W64.Shruggle by Symantec, seems mainly to be an
experiment to test the concept of a 64-bit infecter and is not
actively spread, said Alfred Huger, senior director of security at
Symantec.
"The most interesting thing about this is that virus writers are
already developing for the 64-bit platform," he said.
Symantec got a copy of the virus from an antivirus newsgroup the
company monitors, Huger said. The virus, even if released on the
Internet, would not spread, he added, because the Windows software
that the program exploits has not yet been released by Microsoft. Some
developers are trying out the 64-bit extensions for Windows, but the
software is still being tested. The virus will not run on 32-bit
versions of Windows, such as Windows 2000 and Windows XP, owned by the
vast majority of Microsoft users.
"This is for the future, when this stuff comes out of beta," Huger
said.
That a virus for 64-bit Windows has been developed so early is
somewhat ironic, since 64-bit processors such as AMD's Opteron have
specific features to boost the security of Windows PCs. That
protection is targeted at worms and other attacks that, unlike e-mail
viruses, are triggered without having to trick users.
While the digital pest is little threat, it does indicate that virus
writers are thinking ahead. Such "proof of concept" programs tend to
be aimed at identifying vulnerabilities, not exploiting them. Other
recent viruses targeted at new platforms include two programs that
aimed to infect the Symbian and Windows CE operating systems used by
many smart phones.
"They prove that there is a viable threat," Huger said.
http://tinyurl.com/4umww
I JUST read about this before coming back to the site. More proof that Im glad I dont use Windows @ home.....
Of course remaining mindful that Linux isnt fool proof...
Wow, wouldn't it have been better to release this virus later? When more people have 64-bit stuff?
[quote author=Countach44 link=board=25;threadid=9712;start=0#msg88223 date=1093368821]
Wow, wouldn't it have been better to release this virus later? When more people have 64-bit stuff?
[/quote]
If this is the same group that I read about back right after AMD64 chips were released, these are good guys. They are proving that Win64 has new bugs besides the old ones. I personally would rather just run 64-Bit Linux ... but thats me ;D
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