Microsoft hopes to be ready when hundreds of thousands of computers infected with the MSBlast worm start pelting its Windows Update service with data requests on midnight Friday.
The company has taken steps to try and dodge the denial-of-service attack, but it's also begun educating Windows users about other ways to get updates and patches in the event that the update service is made unavailable.
"We are preparing," said Stephen Toulouse, security program manager for Microsoft's security research center. "We are working diligently to make sure that our customers can get the patch."
The primary payload of the MSBlast worm, which began infecting systems Monday, is a DoS attack against the service from which most Windows users get their updates. If successful, the maneuver would help frustrate efforts to patch the Windows vulnerability the worm exploits. The strategy could also be a way of simply harassing the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant; the worm's code contains a message for the company's founder: "billy gates why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software!!"
Named after the msblast.exe file that contains the program, MSBlast continued to spread across the Net on Wednesday, infecting nearly 228,000 computers by midmorning, according to data gathered by security company Symantec.
Computers infected with the worm will start sending connection requests to the Windows Update service at midnight Friday, according to the clock on a given user's computer.
Although Toulouse was mum on the specific steps the software giant is taking to prepare for the attack, Microsoft is advertising alternative ways to get downloads and information from its site. The company has put more than 10 links on its main Web site to send people to more information and alternative channels for downloading updates.
) tj. javljao je da za mene nema nikavih updateova, iako je zadnji update koji sam instalirao bio SP1. Znaci virus radi ![][V][ATRIX™](/data/avatars/m/1/1662.jpg?1612629387){kind=avatar}
