Update PCs now! New worm targets
Windows vulnerabilities
by the K-State Security Incident Response Team
published Aug. 16, 2005
The round of Microsoft Updates that came out last Tuesday, Aug. 9, has already
been followed by a new worm (MS05-039) that exploits those vulnerabilities if they are not
patched. It is important to install the latest updates on all of your machines, including:
- Laptops
- Personal computers at home
- Any machine that is not frequently used
Computer worms can get in without owners even knowing, so patching is the only
sure way to be protected. Download the latest updates from Microsoft's
Windows Update service.
If you need assistance, contact the IT Help Desk at (785) 532-7722,
helpdesk@ksu.edu. Safe computing!
K-State to block MS05-039 vulnerability
starting Aug. 17
by the K-State Security Incident Response Team
published Aug. 16, 2005
All K-State computers that are found to be vulnerable to the MS05-039 security issue
will be blocked starting at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17. A list of
vulnerable Microsoft Windows hosts at K-State
is posted online and, for security purposes, is only viewable from a K-State IP address.
Hackers are actively exploiting the MS05-039 vulnerability to compromise
and control vulnerable computers. Because of this, vulnerable hosts must be
patched or blocked from the network. For more information, see Microsoft's
MS05-039 bulletin.
A fix for this vulnerability was released by Microsoft on Tuesday,
Aug. 9, and should have been applied as part of the regular, automated update
process. Hosts which are still vulnerable should be checked to make sure that
automatic updates are enabled. For more information about enabling
automatic updates, see Microsoft's Windows Update Service.
Filtering e-mail based on the Subject line
by the editors, InfoTech Tuesday
published Aug. 16, 2005
Last week's Q/A section noted that subject-line e-mail filtering is one of the
new features being planned for K-State's central e-mail system upgrade this fall.
An astute reader observed that K-Staters already have this ability in a number of desktop e-mail
programs. This is true, with one caveat: Central e-mail filtering is primarily for spam filtering,
whereas desktop e-mail filtering is also useful for tasks such as filing messages, handling e-mail
from a particular person or list, setting up automatic responses, and more.
See the e-mail documentation site
for details on how to filter e-mail using e-mail programs supported at K-State.
Additionally, given the many K-Staters who are using WebMail on the central e-mail system, documentation on
WebMail filtering
is notably relevant.
SSH software upgrade scheduled Wednesday evening
by J. Bell, Computing and Network Services
published Aug. 16, 2005
Wednesday night, Aug. 17, K-State's public Unix servers (Unix1 and Unix2) along with the
Unix lab machines will be getting an SSH software upgrade to allow support
for version 2. The upgrade will improve system security
and re-enable secure communication with departments such as Computing and Information Sciences,
which already use ssh2 exclusively.
During the upgrade, some momentary
lapses in SSH server connections can be expected. Anyone using SSH on or to these machines
will need to restart their connection.
However, since this upgrade is supporting the new version
of the SSH protocol, people who have created keys for the older SSH will
need to recreate them. Otherwise, a warning will be displayed to the user each
time they run the software, saying their keys are out of date. This
upgrade is not expected to affect the average user and their day-to-day use of
the software in any other way.
| Q/A: IT questions from K-Staters |
by the editors, InfoTech Tuesday
published Aug. 16, 2005
What if my PC is infected with the MS05-039 worm?
Your computer will need a total reformat and reinstall of the operating system
and software. If you need assistance, contact the IT Help Desk, (785) 532-7722,
helpdesk@ksu.edu.
Have a question or comment?
TellTuesday@ksu.edu.
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| Web watch |
PublicRadioFan.com
by the editors, InfoTech Tuesday
published Aug. 16, 2005
PublicRadioFan.com at www.publicradiofan.com
"features program listings for hundreds of public radio stations around the world".
You start by selecting your time zone. Then follow the instructions to navigate the site,
find your favorite radio stations and programs, and listen online. Special
listing are also available
for podcasts and satellite radio.
Find a good site? TellTuesday@ksu.edu.
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