Computer users should check that their computers have the free protective patch that will fend off the Sasser worm causing panic throughout the world for its ability to force computers to reboot, Microsoft South Africa said on Tuesday.
Unlike previous viruses such as MyDoom or Blaster, the Sasser worm doesn’t need anyone to open an e-mail to launch its attack. It simply targets unprotected users who are connected to the internet, and is reportedly wreaking havoc with international banking and transport networks.
Microsoft SA’s technical services manager, Colin Erasmus, said Sasser targets a vulnerability in the Microsoft code for Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Although it is not considered “malicious”, it makes computers reboot, users battle to access the internet, or they receive a local security authority subsystem service pop-up error message.
He said that most big institutions heeded the early warnings and installed the protective patch the company released on April 13, and were unaffected. But not everybody has followed the golden rule of keeping patches updated and Microsoft SA has beefed up its call centre to cope with the demand.
He explained that non-malicious worms and viruses are usually the work of technically competent teenagers or undergraduates who create them for bragging rights.
A malicious virus is usually used to commit fraud, like altering a banking site.
Some companies even hire hackers to check that their systems can keep up.
Nevertheless, viruses and worms are taken seriously and handed over to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies for investigation, as with the Sasser virus.
The $250 000 reward Microsoft put up for the Blaster virus is still unclaimed.
Meanwhile, major companies Standard Bank and Transnet said that because they had taken precautions and kept their protective patches up to date, they had not been affected.
Louis Lehmann, Standard Bank’s director of IT security, said the bank had deployed all the patches and updated anti-virus mechanisms and “it had no impact whatsoever on customers services”.
Barry Neuwerth, of Transnet’s Group IT, said it had taken all the steps to protect the more than 20 000 workstations in the group.
“The answer is rapid response, don’t procrastinate,” Neuwerth said. — Sapa
To access Microsoft’s free protective patches log on to www.microsoft.com and click on to the Sasser information.