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This week in Tech Tuesday, a brief potpourri of items, mostly revolving around PC security issues — everything from the latest security patches from Microsoft to a work-around for Microsoft’s Genuine Microsoft Software Check facility, and the prospect of a catastrophic attack on the Internet.
Critical Windows Patch Arriving Today
Heads up to all Windows users. The monthly patch scheduled for today includes six security updates affecting Windows, one of which is rated “critical.”
In addition, via its Windows Update process, Microsoft plans to release a refresh of its malware removal tool — the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool — to add detection for new virus and worm variants. Microsoft has also reported it will release one non-security but high-priority update. It is already known that a fix for a denial-of-service flaw in Windows XP will be included in the August patch batch.
Bypass Windows’ Genuine Check
Bypassing Microsoft’s automated check for pirated software may be as simple as inputting one line of code. Within 24 hours of Microsoft officially requiring users of its Windows XP software to validate the authenticity of their software, the validation method was allegedly cracked and disclosed in a public blog.
Late last week, the code snippet appeared on popular blog site BoingBoing claiming to be a way to bypass Microsoft’s Windows Genuine Advantage check. A user only needs to paste the code into the address bar of one of the Microsoft update services before pressing either the ‘Custom’ or ‘Express’ button. The code snippet allegedly disables the key check by turning off the code trigger for the check.
Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is an effort to prevent users from running pirated non-licensed versions of Microsoft’s software. When visiting one of Microsoft’s update services, users are prompted to download an ActiveX control, which validates their software. Only validated WGA users have full access to Microsoft’s update services; security updates are still available to non-validated users as well.
A Credible Plan To Take Down The Internet
According to CNET Reviews’ Senior Editor, Robert Vamosi, “a credible threat to the infrastructure of the Internet exists that will give everyone who uses the Internet a rough ride … all indications suggest that the clock is ticking toward some kind of showdown between criminal hackers and the good guys.”
At stake is the exploitation of flaws affecting the once-invincible Cisco router hardware, which currently carries most of the Internet’s traffic on a daily basis.
Cisco tried to silence Internet Security Systems Inc. researcher Michael Lynn who was scheduled to reveal a serious flaw in Cisco Systems Inc.’s IOS (Internet Operating System). When Cisco and ISS intervened to prevent Lynn from speaking, he quit his job and gave the speech anyway.
“I admire the guy for being brave,” said Lisa Bickford, president of InReach Internet, and a board member of the California ISP Association. “It’s not easy to quit your job, but he stood by his principles. I think Cisco has some egg on its face.”
e-week contributing editor David Coursey writes that if “Cisco were doing its job, we might not need Michael Lynn to tell us about the company’s shortcomings. But, because the bad guys already know — or could be presumed to know — about the problems, only Cisco’s customers are out of the loop. Or were, until Lynn arrived on the scene.”
Needless to say, Cisco was far from thrilled with Lynn’s disclosure and quickly filed suit in the Supreme Court. This past week, Lynn and his attorney agreed to a permanent injunction that prevents him from using any Cisco code in his possession for further reverse engineering or security research. The permanent injunction does not prevent Lynn from doing further research on Cisco products provided it is done legally.
