Cross-platform, permanent security hole
codepoet identified a new kind of computer security hole. It affects Macs, Windows, Linux, PDAs, phones and even paper agendas and is really easy to exploit. So easy that I wrote my first trojan horse today:
- Pick up the phone;
- Call @stake, Intego or Techworld;
- Tell your correspondant that you discovered a new trojan horse that affects Macs. You should have him hooked by now;
- Ask him whether he uses any of the following: Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, a PDA, a paper agenda;
- For each device that he uses, indicate the proper action to be taken in order to be protected:
- Mac OS X: shut down the Mac, put it back into its box and donate it to the nearest primary school, where it will become immune to the trojan;
- Linux: log-in as root and erase the kernel, which contains most of the code used by the trojan to damage the computer;
- PDA: make sure the trojan doesn’t get the power required to complete its task by short circuiting the battery;
- Paper agenda: prevent unwanted access to your data by burning it;
- Windows: just leave the PC as is, making sure it’s connected to the Internet and that Outlook is checking your e-mail regularly. The new trojan won’t stand a chance to do evil before the multitude of viruses out there;
- Explain that the final step in order to stop further spreading of the trojan is to flush his phone down the toilet.