NSA Leaked ability for 65% windows users to be hacked

[zetreque]

Leaked NSA Malware Threatens Windows Users Around the World
Sam Biddle

April 14 2017, 12:35 p.m
https://theintercept.com/2017/04/14/leaked-nsa-malware-threatens-windows-users-around-the-world/

Related: Make sure you are speaking out to demand net neutrality!

[zetreque]

If anyone finds a website showing which updates to download to fix each version of windows, please let me know.

This looks like a list of them, but no links to download each update.

https://www.askwoody.com/category/micro ... -security/

[zetreque]

Everyone I asked about this hadn't even heard of it or seemed to care, including people in the IT dept where I go. Pay attention people! :)

Hackers Hit Dozens of Countries Exploiting Stolen N.S.A. Tool
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/world/europe/uk-national-health-service-cyberattack.html

[Braininvat]

And now experts are saying that another wave of attacks could hit tomorrow, as the work week starts. Given how vile some of the ransomware attacks were - I mean, shutting down hospitals in the UK? - it's clear the hackers are stone-cold sociopaths who have no regard for anyone. If caught, prosecutors could consider murder charges in addition to extortion and theft charges.

[toucana]

One of the reasons why NHS hospital systems in UK are being caught by these ransomware attacks is because hundreds of thousands of old machines in the NHS are still running legacy software that was coded to run on Windows XP, and which can't readily be updated to function on any newer versions of Windows OS.

Microsoft withdrew customer support and security patches for Windows XP some time ago, although they continued to offer special support for legacy enterprise systems that still depended on XP and Windows Server 2003, albeit at eye-watering prices.

The NHS reportedly had a £5.5 million annual contract with Microsoft just to keep their ageing fleet of Windows XP systems functional. This contract was last renewed in 2014, but was immediately cancelled by the incoming Conservative government that won the general election in 2015 as part of a series of widespread infrastructure spendings cuts in the public services.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39912825

The other public service that reportedly still has large quantities of potentially vulnerable Windows XP machines running custom-written legacy software is said to be the British police, but unsurprisingly perhaps you won't read quite so much in the news about their systems going down as well.

[zetreque]

I got all my systems updated.

As far as I can tell, that MS17-101 update is the one to download and install for the worst of the vulnerabilities in addition to any normal updates. There is nothing for windows XP in that update.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/lib ... 7-010.aspx

[Braininvat]

Home users of Windows 10 (any version) get that patch in their regular monthly security update. Be aware that going to that link and trying to download the patch separately may cause you some difficulties. I saw a PC freak out when that was attempted, and the bluetooth mouse went stone dead, so make sure you know exactly what you're doing if you try that link.

[zetreque]

That's why I update stuff manually as I go. Even the automatic regularly updates can really screw up your computer. The downside to manually doing things though is you can forget, but the benefit is backing up your system before you do the updates.

I did look up this morning risks of installing an update twice by accident. It didn't seem to be that big of problem. Windows is supposed to be smart enough to know not to install them twice, or if it does install it twice, it just overwrites the files or registries to the version of update you are installing.

[zetreque]

A new link is popping up at the top of windows update websites directing people to the following link.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/msrc/customer-guidance-for-wannacrypt-attacks

Microsoft officially announced that everyone should update to MS17-101 if they have not already or do not have automatic updates installed.

They are even releasing updates for no longer supported versions such as Windows XP

In March, we released a security update which addresses the vulnerability that these attacks are exploiting. Those who have Windows Update enabled are protected against attacks on this vulnerability. For those organizations who have not yet applied the security update, we suggest you immediately deploy Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010.

[someguy1]

Very common pattern, has happened a couple of times recently.

* NSA discovers a vulnerability and builds an exploit.

* NSA keeps it secret.

* NSA gets hacked and loses the exploit.

* The exploit gets used against end-users.

The government's supposed to protect us, but as always they make things worse.

[zetreque]

Very common pattern, has happened a couple of times recently.

* NSA discovers a vulnerability and builds an exploit.

* NSA keeps it secret.

* NSA gets hacked and loses the exploit.

* The exploit gets used against end-users.

The government's supposed to protect us, but as always they make things worse.

Can you please give us links to the other examples.

[someguy1]

Very common pattern, has happened a couple of times recently.

* NSA discovers a vulnerability and builds an exploit.

* NSA keeps it secret.

* NSA gets hacked and loses the exploit.

* The exploit gets used against end-users.

The government's supposed to protect us, but as always they make things worse.

Can you please give us links to the other examples.

This is the story I was referring to. One publicly documented case that I remembered but a significant one.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html

[zetreque]

Very common pattern, has happened a couple of times recently.

* NSA discovers a vulnerability and builds an exploit.

* NSA keeps it secret.

* NSA gets hacked and loses the exploit.

* The exploit gets used against end-users.

The government's supposed to protect us, but as always they make things worse.

Can you please give us links to the other examples.

This is the story I was referring to. One publicly documented case that I remembered but a significant one.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html

That article mentions no other times this has happened. I am not questioning the NSA screwing over the American people but your post is flawed in the claim that "as always they make things worse" in reference to the government as a whole not protecting us. I can name millions of examples of the government protecting us even in it's flawed and limited fashion. The ability to sue the government over even weak environmental laws has lead to saving millions of lives for example.

[someguy1]

I am not questioning the NSA screwing over the American people

Ok we agree on that. I wrote "many" when I had hard evidence for "two" and suspicions of many more.

but your post is flawed in the claim that "as always they make things worse" in reference to the government as a whole not protecting us. I can name millions of examples of the government protecting

And you wrote "millions" but give only one example. I'll agree with you that the air appears cleaner now than it was in the 1970's. But that could well be because in the 1970's I lived in New Jersey and now I live in California, so that alone would account for my personal observation.

I would say that the government USUALLY makes things worse and OCCASIONALLY makes things better. I can live with that.

[zetreque]

millions being every time the government was sued to uphold environmental laws and the govt lost. Or every time another person sued someone and they won saving their life or increasing their quality of life. It's a system in place that helps us. That's the whole point.

To support your argument that the government harms us more than helps us you are going to have to build one hell of a case over all the military conquests, domination of other countries to give us the quality of life we have and products, and prevented possibly hundreds or thousands of more superfund sites.

To say the government harms us more than helps is a far cry that I'd need one hell of a case presented to me.

[someguy1]

To say the government harms us more than helps is a far cry that I'd need one hell of a case presented to me.

Ok! The great Statist versus Libertarian smackdown!

https://informationstation.org/in-the-n ... -the-poor/

I'll toss in the drug war, an unmitigated disaster since it started in the 1970's. Pretty much all government welfare programs -- see the Moynahan report from 1965. And not to mention -- the very subject of this thread, the government's massive ongoing screwup of cybersecurity that makes us all less secure.

The government's disastrous Middle East policies since before, during, and after 9/11. Does drone-bombing wedding parties and double-tapping the first responders really make you feel safe? You haven't got a case and you couldn't make one unless you are a defense contractor or warmongering politician.

[zetreque]

To say the government harms us more than helps is a far cry that I'd need one hell of a case presented to me.

Ok! The great Statist versus Libertarian smackdown!

https://informationstation.org/in-the-n ... -the-poor/

Not even close.

You are first going to have to be more specific when you say government. Executive, Judicial, Congressional, Agency... Then even if you do that you are going to lose the checks and balances with voids the whole argument. You may start a thread on this if you wish but I'm telling you, it's going to be a very complicated and near impossible task to prove.

[someguy1]

To say the government harms us more than helps is a far cry that I'd need one hell of a case presented to me.

Ok! The great Statist versus Libertarian smackdown!

https://informationstation.org/in-the-n ... -the-poor/

Not even close.

You are first going to have to be more specific when you say government. Executive, Judicial, Congressional, Agency... Then even if you do that you are going to lose the checks and balances with voids the whole argument. You may start a thread on this if you wish but I'm telling you, it's going to be a very complicated and near impossible task to prove.

I'm happy to leave it that. How about the EPA? https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/us/n ... .html?_r=0

[zetreque]

I'm happy to leave it that. How about the EPA? https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/us/n ... .html?_r=0

The point I am trying to make is this

The EPA is part of the government.

Without the EPA to sue in our court system (which is also part of the government), there would be no way to hold the corporations or the EPA accountable. Thus, nothing would be done and they would be worse off than if there was no "government."

[Braininvat]

Getting back to topic (the Statist v Libertarian smackdown does sound like a great thead in Politics, btw)....

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/2426/article/p2p-93324084/

More about the WannaCry ransomware attack, and how we could be more prepared for such attacks.

[someguy1]

Getting back to topic (the Statist v Libertarian smackdown does sound like a great thead in Politics, btw)....

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/2426/article/p2p-93324084/

More about the WannaCry ransomware attack, and how we could be more prepared for such attacks.

My two step plan for avoiding malware attacks:

* Abolish the NSA; and

* Get a Mac.