Done_Fishin

Just read this

OpenOffice worm Badbunny hops across operating systems
Malicious software, spreading through OpenOffice documents, "can infect Windows, Linux and Mac OS X systems," Symantec says.
By Munir Kotadia
Special to CNET News.com
Published: June 11, 2007, 4:57 AM PDT


found here

Kalim

A cross-platform semi-dependent worm, interesting. This seems like a start to a new "kism" of foe. Not that any user should open unfamiliar files anyway.

Iain posted about this a few weeks back: OpenOffice worm crosses Operating Systems

Go The Power

Wow.....These worms just keep getting smarter.

Done_Fishin

Sorry but the worms are just routines, they can't get smarter otherwise we would be able to create a worm of artificial intelligence that would counteract the virus and remove it ..
NO ..it's the guy that writes them who is getting better educated and has knowledge that allows him to attack three defences at once .. of course it could be he has teamed up with others who have writen a piece of code that says .. if Windows .. then OR If Liniux then .... OR if MAckintosh then .. te result is that you can't even trust a text file from a Linux or Apple user ..

Kalim

It's a very behavior orientated worm, which is quite scary if it's already happening (technically advanced) as it means the security experts and shields will need to be twice as good and fast to counter it.

Done_Fishin

Quite right .. what's frightening is that you once thought you were safe in LInux .. but a message arrives from a windows or mac user infects you and then you're able to infect another OS user in spite of not being "COMPATIBLE"
it's akin to mating rabbits and sharks .. the idea could be quite horrendous, no-one will be safe unless they think and act "security" and even then .. there's that doubt.

Kalim

Well, it's nice to know that though Linux was always written as "never susceptible", we do have many freeware security products to use in it if need be.

Done_Fishin

I haven't looked any further than the original article but I am thinking that Linux might just be a stepping stone to reach Windows users .. Linux is supposed to require su / sudo passwords in order to gain privileges .. so perhaps it doesn't really get infected it just becomes a carrier .. I await to read more with interest ..

Kalim

It affects Linux too.

This is what Jan Hruska and his firm Sophos advised.

Done_Fishin

I read that .. I also read a few comments from readers like " how will it get my root password?" ..
but thinking about it .. yes it must infect in order to pass the virus on ..but is it really able to do damage on the Linux PC or is it more like it drops the payload but can't make it work? Only pass it on hoping to catch a Windows PC .. I mean it sounds more like a nuisance at the moment rather than a virus .. I'm thinking CIH etc .. where real damage was done

Kalim

If it's a perl script virus it can cause a Linux system damage just like an executable can in Windows.

kbd_usr

Write Once Read Many infections are typically reserved for optical media these days, and hard to beat at the RAW packet level needed for transfer.

No real concern here. Mostly inert code flipping around, sending signals home.

Done_Fishin

@ kbd_usr ...
not really sure what you mean .. but I get the impression that you aren't giving this breakthrough the severity of attention that it warrants .. I hope I am wrong .. I really do , but the repercussions could be quite nasty if this new "mode" takes off .. think CIH and other nasties that could come from any otherwise thought safe OS. As Kalim says .. there are antivirus packages out there for us .. but up until now they have been ( according to material I have read) focused on using a Linux install to check for windows infections or stopping a potential windows infection from going any further ..
Now we will need to see the possibilities of an antivirus package having the data & search algorithm to look for code designed for any OS .. Increased overheads , slowing down of workspeed whilst searches take place ..

Kalim

If you think security experts understand very little fact, and especially Sophos, an absolute market leader and a pioneer, then that is very misleading.



It is very difficult to fight and code against security compoimisation. Try coding a decent encryption software, like TrueCrypt and you won't even be close to the complexity involved.

Go The Power

Oh sorry that is meant, I dont think I said it right.

Done_Fishin

Sorry GTP, I knew what you meant .. but I sometimes get this urge to tease people when they might imply something that some other human worm might read and take as gospel .. as responsible people we have to make sure that the right message is carried across ..
I know we hear things like worms mutating or variants of viruses .. but there are a lot of people out there who think that the virus evolves by itself not realising that the original or another hacker has to take the original form and change it .. the result is that joe public thinks virus are smart , evolving new strains to outwit the antivirus media

Go The Power

No need to Apologize, I will just remember for next time

kbd_usr

Linux is stable, but not impenetrable. I was trying to download ClamAV, and my MB alarm for processor heat threshold started going off. Seems someone jacked my connection, and was trying to infect. ford(.)ubuntu(.)com was the given address, which is an offset of the archive resources. I didn't even bother trying to figure out what they did, just re-installed everything.

I know for most certain, that someone tries to set up a small server on my system, trying and vying for the zombie status. They haven't been too successful, but I hate the glitches they induce.

I don't feel though, as the newer claim of WORMS a great threat. As, they typically are quite easy to be manipulated by subsidiary algorithms that check for system changes within the kernel. In fact, I hear great calamity when fsck takes off, and starts lopping out small random bits of data that are being coalesced.

Go The Power

How many Linux viruses are there?

Done_Fishin

I gather that there aren't too many .. but if you consider that the Antivirus industry is based on making sales of software to combat virus .. then the more users an operating system has then the more profitable it becomes to have a software that is able to keep them clean ..

I have always found it strange that within hours of a new virus strain , some companies have a "cure" for their customers within the hour .. whilst others take days or weeks to identify and provide an answer to the new problem.

I often wonder whether it's always a rogue hacker that lets a new virus loose on unsuspecting public or someone with a vested interest in selling a product doesn't encourage sales by creating a need.