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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2003)
The Battalion Classified Advertising • Easy • Affordable • Effective For information call 345-0569 Choice for over 19 years I SPRING BREAK jnCJMWMMECO nMznnnr* - „ BRECKINRIDGE 11 ¥JUl BOWER CHEEK U ■ olVl KfYSrOMEA-BASIK ummum www.uniwarsliyli8acaclBh.com 4B Monday, January 27, 2003 NATIOf THE BATTALIO! Latest computer worm exposes reactionary nature to security flaws You CouCeC ‘Be 91 “Beauty Qyeen Student Pageant Association H °c'e/ / 'Oc ,e sS Come See What We’re All About: SC^' 9 ' SWEET TOOTH SOCIAL Jan. 28, 7:00 p.m. NSC 229 http://stuact.tamu.edu/stuorgs/pageant By Anick Jesdanun THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Show this Saturday, Feb. 1 st , 9:00 p.m. at Rudder Auditorium for Freudian Slip improv comedy Tickets now on sale at Rudder Box Office for $ 5 Come fully dressed in a ninja, toga, fairy or pirate costume and get in for $ 3H NEW YORK — The latest virus-like attack on the Internet exposes more than a software flaw: The very strategy that managers of computer networks typically adopt for security has proven inadequate. As network technicians worked Sunday to complete repairs to damage caused by Saturday’s fast-spreading worm, government and private security experts worried that too many security managers are only fix ing problems as they occur, rather than keeping their defens es up-to-date. Security experts said Sunday that the problem was largely under control, though some worried that lingering infections could appear when businesses reopen Monday. The FBI said Sunday that the attack’s origin was still unknown. The worm that crippled tens of thousands of computers worldwide and congested the network for countless others, even disabling Bank of America cash machines, took advantage of a vulnerability in some Microsoft Corp. software that had been discovered in July. Microsoft had made software updates available to patch the vulnerability in its SQL Server 2000 software — used mostly by businesses and governments — but many system administra tors had yet to install them. “There was a lot that could have been done between July and now,” said Howard A. Schmidt, President Bush’s No. 2 cybersecurity adviser. “We make sure we have air in our tires and brakes get checked. We also need to make sure we keep computers up-to-date.” As the worm infected one computer, it was programmed to seek other victims by sending out thousands of probes a sec ond, saturating many Internet data pipelines. Unlike most viruses and worms, it spread directly through network connections and did not need e-mail as a car rier. Thus, only network admin istrators who run the servers, not end users, could do anything to remedy the situation. According to Keynote Systems Inc., which measures Internet reliability and speed, network congestion increased download times at the largest U.S. Web sites by an average of 50 percent, and some sites were completely unavailable at times Saturday. Bruce Schneier, chief tech nology officer at Counterpane Internet Security, said the attack proves that relying on patches is ‘Slammer’ worm slows Internet traffic The virus-like attack, which began about 12:30 a.m. EST, sought out vulnerable computers on the Internet to infect using a known flaw in popular database software from Microsoft Corp., called “SQL Server 2000." The “Slammer” worm — the attacking software — probed the Internet randomly and aggressively for vulnerable / computers running a faulty version of “SQL Server 2000". Server Patch After entering server, the attacking software took over the server and "locked it up.” Then the worm replicated itself and sent more probes back to the Web. These large numbers of probes swamped the world's digital pipelines. l To combat this onslaught system administrators Mera their servers for the worn and installed a patch tha: fixed the flaw in the prograr SOURCES: Associated Press: Matnx NetSystems Inc. Cagayaif flawed “not because it’s not effective, but many don’t do it.” Two of the previous major outbreaks. Code Red and Nimda, also exploited known problems for which patches were available. But with more than 4,(XX) new vulnerabilities reported last year, according to the government-funded CERT Coordination Center at Carnegie Mellon University, system administrators can have trouble keeping up. Patches also i M take time.l alpra suit ; wrec health care sy the recent nat troversy over ability of heal and prescript! prices, it seen odd that man) tinue to value ests of their n lawyers’ asso< those of ordin affordable ant Indeed, that vt speech Preside gave this mon Penn. In it, he currently in C among other t install and could disrupt oftl nationwide ca «vrpmv; :inrt unnliratiirI hitani “n-iin -ji systems and application) Schmidt said many netwt managers delay installing pat es to fully test them first. Microsoft spokesman Ria Miller said the company j working with network proft sionals to develop better too including ones to automatical 1 scan systems for kno 1 vulnerabilities. Jm Tutoring & Test Review wants you to get better grades. Don’t wait, get a good jump on your GPA! We offer the highest quality tutoring in town to help improve your grades! Classes offered include: Acct 209 Chem 107 Fine 309 Math 151 Mgmt 363 Acct 210 Econ 202 Fine 341 Math 152 Mktg 309 Acct 229 Econ 203 Info 303 Math 166 Mktg 321 Acct 230 Econ 311 Info 305 Mgmt 209 Biol 113 Econ 322 Info 364 Mgmt 211 Biol 114 Engr 212 Math 142 Mgmt 309 *Phys 201 *Phys 202 *Phys208 *Phys218 * The first night of tutoring for Physics is free! > Get tickets at 4.0 & Go or online at www.4.OandGo.com and avoid standing in ticket lines! > Season Passes now on sale, good discount! www.4. OandGo. com 696-TUTOR (8886) NEWS IN BRIEF Survey: gas prices rise more than a penny nationwide in Scranton ar CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) - & surgeons are r prices rose nearly one and ahu trauma patiem cents per gallon over the cannot afford two weeks, an industry anal}! said Sunday. The average weighted pricefc three years th of California, this may be a to Pennsylvan According to Times article, at several hos handle of We: Gu A; gas nationwide, including grades and taxes, was aba Si.52 per gallon Friday, accoit ing to the Lundberg Survey; 8,000 stations nationwide. & cost just over Si.50 a gallont Jan. 3, the date of the hfll Lundberg Survey. Contributing to the price (b was the continuing oil prodm tion strike in Venezuela, a feaif war against Iraq, the intens cold weather on America's ES Coast, which is prompting 50® refiners to produce more bea! ing oil, and the addition oh costlier gasoline additive California, Lundberg said. California is phasing out d use of Methyl Tertiary But ether, or MTBE, an additivetb? is blamed for polluting drinkii'i water after it leaked from sW age tanks. Some refineries as ^. ni ^! n ^ r ‘! m '" beginning to replace it tfi 1, eat ’ Iee " ethanol, a corn-based fuel } tive that is more expensive h: better for the environmef Lundberg said. Federal law requires gasolir to contain a 2 percent oxyga additive — such as MTBE t ethanol — to cut down on a pollution. The national weighted averaf price of gasoline, include taxes, at self-serve pumps Frida was about Si.49 per gallon I regular, Si.58 for mid-gradeai’' Si.67 for premium. bitant "pain ai ages awarded tice plaintiffs, policy propos; proven to wor states that hav measures. Bush chos( Pennsylvania recently becoi what can hapf trial lawyers a plaintiffs, mo? suffered becai are allowed to over the civil According to Journal, three cular surgeon; In Philadel damages were Experiments keep shuttle Columbia's astronauts busy SPACE CENTER, Houston f — Space shuttle Columbia astronauts kept busy Sunday* 1 they continued their 16-d* mission of conducting scien# experiments. Astronaut Laurel Cla 1 ' worked on a study of howba ( teria and yeast develop space and how reduced gravf affects their response to a# otics. The experiment is one ofse' eral from the European Spa t: Agency. The results will be compa^ with results of an experir# conducted on Earth. "We're just all thrilled tb< everything is going as well a 5 is," Clark said. Columbia is due back c Earth Saturday. s the i rying .the W area sniper al toward hospi doubt many I chasing close On Oct. 2 Muhammed Maivo allege rifled. Muhai arrested on C Accord inj Post, the fam victims have alleged snipe gun was sup] gun manufac used in the si Their suit facturer. Bus gence for sir This is just tl an overly liti suing anythii Bushmast rifle, which i manufacture United State realize a law drifters like would net nc ed court doc Bushmas of the blame blame lies sc pie who con The old T adage is sim “Guns don’t people.” In the ab; demented er will find oth destruction, known to sh make homer have the san While th< justifiably a attacks, not! pain or loss. Although not legitimi: