RE: Hysterical first technical alert from US-CERT

From: Stephen Martin (martins_at_tigerfuel.com)
Date: 02/10/04

  • Next message: Scott J: "AIX password enumeration possible" 
    To: 'Shawn McMahon' <smcmahon@eiv.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 15:48:48 -0500

    > One thing nobody seems to want to recognize as a possibility here is
    > that MyDoom.B didn't take off as much as MyDoom.A precisely BECAUSE of
    > the US-CERT email. A lot of members of the press took that pretty
    > seriously, and warnings on the evening network news shows that you
    > shouldn't open these attachments are bound to have prevented at least
    > some infections.

    I would describe the MyDoom virus as hitting the main stream media several
    days prior [01.27.03] to CERT's email. Most people [non-tech] that I talked
    to, after 01.27ish had already heard of it and were extremely wary of
    opening
    anything.

    Albeit their e-mail was a catapult to further media coverage, their report
    was misrepresentative of the malware...which should be the bottom line.

    Regards,
    Stephen L. Martin

  • Next message: Scott J: "AIX password enumeration possible"