Security management Toolkit

Squashing the next worm

Published: 15 Aug 2003 12:25 BST

Such basic training is also necessary to raise the level of awareness among home users, perhaps the category of PC user most responsible for vulnerable systems on the Internet. Education has been repeatedly touted as a solution to security woes. However, people still remain ignorant about many of the aspects of security and almost always pick convenience and whiz-bang features over security, Felman said.

"It is all this idea that people have valued productivity over security for a long period of time," Felman said. "We have been making more services and applications available to people (on their computers). As a result of this, we are all more vulnerable."

Microsoft's Jones pointed out that the news regarding MSBlast is not all bad. Considering that the flaw the worm exploits is thought to be the most widespread to date--potentially affecting hundreds of millions of PCs and servers--a Code Red-size epidemic is not that bad.

"The infections are lower (in relation to) the potential for spread of this thing," Jones said. "I think the industry has done a good job of getting the industry message out there. I can only make a personal observation: I'm glad it wasn't worse."