As expected, Microsoft has released a critical out-of-band patch for the LNK shortcut file vulnerability which received attention last month. As a critical patch, this update will be delivered through Windows’ Automatic Update service, as well as being directly available for download from Microsoft’s site without a Windows Genuine Advantage check. A reboot is required for the

We realize there have been a lot of articles in the blog now about the Win32/Stuxnet malware and its new vector for spreading, but when vulnerabilities emerge that can be widely exploited, it is important to share information so that people can protect themselves from the threat. Detection for Win32/Stuxnet and the shortcut (LNK) files

These new families represent a major transition: Win32/Stuxnet demonstrates a number of novel and interesting features apart from the original 0-day LNK vulnerability, such as its association with the targeting of Siemens control software on SCADA sites and the use of stolen digital certificates, However, the new malware we’re seeing is far less sophisticated, and suggests bottom feeders seizing on techniques developed by others. Peter Kosinar comments:

Perhaps you're getting as tired of this thing as I am (though with the information still coming in, I'm not going to be finished with this issue for a good while, I suspect).  But without wishing to hype, I figure it's worth adding links to some further resources. There's a very useful comment by Jake

Kim Zetter’s article for Wired tells us that “SCADA System’s Hard-Coded Password Circulated Online for Years” – see the article at http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/07/siemens-scada/#ixzz0uFbTTpM0 for a classic description of how a password can have little or no value as a security measure. Zetter quotes Lenny Zeltser of SANS as saying that ““…anti-virus tools’ ability to detect generic versions of

As I mentioned in a previous blog, Wired Magazine reported it would take a Nation State to pull off a takedown of the electric grid. Actually, Mother Nature, back hoes, and potentially a worm have had major impacts in the past, but the recent use of the LNK file vulnerability shows it doesn’t take the

On July 17th, ESET identified a new malicious file related to the Win32/Stuxnet worm. This new driver is a significant discovery because the file was signed with a certificate from a company called "JMicron Technology Corp".  This is different from the previous drivers which were signed with the certificate from Realtek Semiconductor Corp.  It is

The hot news http://blog.eset.com/2010/07/17/windows-shellshocked-or-why-win32stuxnet-sux is of a zero-day vulnerability that has been used to attack SCADA systems. This comes hot on the heels of an article on the Wired web site titled “Hacking the Electric Grid – You and What Army” http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/07/hacking-the-electric-grid-you-and-what-army/. So clearly Wired had already predicted the origins, at least vaguely, of Win32/Stuxnet.

…But that doesn’t mean that this particular attack is going to vanish any time soon, AV detection notwithstanding. Now that particular vulnerability is known, it’s certainly going to be exploited by other parties, at least until Microsoft produce an effective fix for it, and it will affect some end users long after that…

Well, not exactly, though actually a top ten of top tens isn't a bad idea: apparently, top tens usually attract plenty of readers.  As do top fives. twenties etc, though probably not top thirteens. Security Memes a Lot to Me Still, there is a touch of recursion to this post. I got a notification from