Biggest malware threats still work on Vista

Author: Brett Thomas
Published: 30th November 2006
Comments (6) Stumble
"Clear skies ahead" - Perhaps Microsoft should get a new weatherman - Vista's security is still a little cloudy.

"Clear skies ahead" - Perhaps Microsoft should get a new weatherman - Vista's security is still a little cloudy.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Such a worn-out cliche saying might have a little more life in it yet. No, the OS hasn't already got virii coded for it the very day of release (though that wouldn't be implausible by any stretch). Instead, despite all efforts to secure Vista like Fort Knox, some of the current bugs can still find their way in.

Apparently three of the biggest Malware threats for the month of November are still fully functional on Windows Vista, at least according to Sophos. The renowned security gods have put the new operating system through its paces, and have found that several of the holes that malware used to exploit are still alive and well. Stratio-Zip, Netsky-D and MyDoom-O, which combined made up just under 40% of malware in November, each function on Vista.

Of course, a little further study yields that most of these exploits prey on the (dys)functionality of Internet Explorer 7, and have little to do with the OS itself. However, one can be sure that the security companies are grinning from ear to ear over the news. Clearly, it's not time to put that virus scanner on the shelf quite yet...

Have you got a thought on the security issue? Are you mad that MS didn't find a way to fix this yet, or are you of the mind that we have to delineate between the operating system and the web browser that it runs? Tell us your thoughts in our forums.
Asus New EeePC
Quote Nikumba 30th November 2006, 19:13
They might be the biggest threats in Nov but then again Vista did go Gold at the start of november meaning MS would be unable to fix the bugs at the time of release of Vista, unless an update has been released.

I will have to check mine when back at home

Kimbie
Quote DXR_13KE 30th November 2006, 21:31
lets see if this is limited to malwares and not viruses and trojans.
Quote Cthippo 1st December 2006, 01:17
Quote:
Originally Posted by Article
Of course, a little further study yields that most of these exploits prey on the (dys)functionality of Internet Explorer 7, and have little to do with the OS itself.


If MS had not made the decision to fully integrate their browser into the OS this would be less of a problem. Granted, no browser is completly secure, but by giving that program greater access to the OS they have made the problem worse.
Quote lepre 1st December 2006, 10:55
-__-


anyway i ordered a macbook :D
Quote trailblazer 1st December 2006, 12:01
I started a thread on this yesterday, but it kind of flew under the radar I guess. Anyway, I don't think any OS can be completely secure, as it's difficult to mitigate against the actions of the user, like for example opening attachements on emails that contain trojans and phishing scams. One of the good things about the MS os is that they work with just about any application out there. That's one of the weaknesses, as applications can make a system vulnerable. As has been said before, the only secure sytem is one thats switched off! Most of us are going to use our own preferred apps for email etc, so it sounds like the same old same old.
Quote Djpuk 1st December 2006, 13:07
Malware...I am more concerned that Vista has a virgin IP stack that is completely unproven in the wild as yet, that has the potential to be really scary.
As trailblazer rightly says you can only protect so much before the actions of the user overide your best coded intentions anyway.
I think MS will always lose the battle when it comes to security, nothing written cannot be cracked at some point, it just happens quicker with windows as it is the most attractive target.
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