back to article Zeus bot latches onto Windows shortcut security hole

Miscreants behind the Zeus cybercrime toolkit and other strains of malware have begun taking advantage of an unpatched shortcut handling flaws in Windows. It was first used by a sophisticated worm to target SCADA-based industrial control and power plant systems. Isolated strains of mainstream malware that took advantage of how …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "contaminated ZIP file attachments"

    A high tech new exploit appears and the best you can come up with is sticking it in an email attachment? So all we have to do is not open random email attachments?

    Well shit, has anyone got a time machine? The people of 1995 are in desperate need of this vital security information.

  2. Elmer Phud

    email?

    "Zeus-contaminated emails pose as security messages from Microsoft"

    As far as I know MS don't have my email address - at least if they do it's a webmail address and not a 'normal' one.

    But there are several born every minute who will forget that they usually have to click on the little yellow blob to get updates.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      Little yellow blob...

      ..sounds like another technical description used by MS' UI design team...

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Gotta hand it to them kiddies..

    ..they're pretty quick at firing these out. If only they'd use this creativity for more constructive purposes.

    I can see why Microsoft wants to keep these sort of disclosures quiet though, until they've actually got a fix to release at the same time.

    Wait a mo - did I just take sympathy on Microsoft??? No wonder i feel unclean.

    ...retreats to sit and spectate from his redhat fence.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    One of those brilliant moments

    when Windows does everything for you. Well thank you Microsoft! Oh, and while you are at it, can you please remove the rootkit from my systems automatically ? In this way malware will no longer bother me so I can do other productive work instead of keep patching Windows plus AV.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    Correction

    ... The Sophos tool is available to EVERYONE, not just sysadmins.

    :-)

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Gates Halo

    Bugger me..

    No linux / mac fanbios piping up???

    1. Hans 1

      No

      we are ROTFL!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Linux

      our hands are too busy...

      wiping the tears of laughter away to able to type.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Too busy using our nice, safe computers, ta

      No icon - 'cos some of you may be using Windows !

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re : Bugger me..

      Thanks for the, er, offer, but no.....

      If you are using Windows you are already in that happy? state

  7. This post has been deleted by its author

  8. PaulVD
    WTF?

    Sophos's clever solution

    I downloaded the Sophos patch, which seemed like a good idea until I read the licence agreement. (Yes, I have a boring life!)

    Clause 3.2.3: You are not permitted to use Software other than the Licensed Product;

    So if I stop using any software on my machine, my icons won't get infected? That works for sure.

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