OT: worldwide worm

[dennis]

The NHS has lots of money, you can see it wasted in every NHS facility you visit.

[Martin Barclay]

Many people would be very surprised just how much they use Linux without even knowing it, from routers, cameras, servers, vehicle onboard computers, vehicle diagnostics, smart TVs, air traffic control, telecomms, etc.

That T i m has no idea WTF he's talking about. He's trolled Linux groups with his inanity, & even when things have been explained to him by many different people, he just /doesn't/ get it. I plonked him quite some time ago, because when it comes to Linux he quite /clearly/ stated that he doesn't want to learn anything about it. From what I've seen, he is pretty much ignored in Linux newsgroups. AFAIC he is an idiot. If you take his word for things, then good luck!

I've used Linux for about 20 years, & find it /very/ flexible & useful on my desktops & laptops.

[Richard]

Because he's an idiot?

[T i m]

That wasn't a long list Bill, it was just a list of the first things I thought of that were fact and the Linux fanboys couldn't refute.

And you know what they often offer in reply to it being pointed out to them that a particular field isn't very well represented on Linux (like vehicle diagnostics), 'write something yourself'! (Further highlighting just how 'off message' these people really are). ;-(

Ignoring the more specific things, I've found the distros like Ubuntu / Mint *generally* install pretty well on most modernish hardware these days. In spite of the Linux fanboys boasts, it often won't deal with some things that are very new (as I understand drivers for some things have to be reverse engineered if not supplied by the manufacturers) or old (where they have dropped support etc).

So, whilst 'Linux supports more hardware than any other OS' ... may be true, it often doesn't support it very well (poor video performance, network print but not scan etc), or that support becomes abandoned (the bloke doing it in his shed gets bored) or it's just not the right hardware with the right version of the right distro with the right desktop environment.

Where few would argue it's well suited ...

Where the Linux kernel is hidden from the user in any case ... (as it is from users of servers, routers, TV and many other appliances etc).

Of course, because there is a good commercial reason for companies to write software and make hardware for Windows because it represents ~80% of the desktop market.

I'm not (and never have) suggesting Windows is 'good' (in it's design or anything), just there really isn't anything out there to replace it after all these years and even with the full understanding of it's flaws and pitfalls.

If the guy who created Linux, admits that Linux (still) hasn't made it on the desktop then I think you can pretty well ignore the biased opinion of any OS fanboy (from whatever OS the bias comes). ;-)

It's like anything though, most of us have a minimum expectation for most things and if 'it' fails to meet that expectation, then even something that is fundamentally good for potentially millions of happy users, becomes 'useless' to someone else.

I can reboot this Mac Mini from XP to OSX and yet it must be years since I last did so? Now, 'many people' would suggest OSX was a 'better OS' than XP (especially around the area of security say) so why haven't I made use of that 'benefit'?

Maybe it's because I value everyday functionality over some potential increase in security, just as many people put up with an everyday Eurobox (because of it's honest simplicity and ease of support / maintenance) rather than driving a Ferrari or Hypermobile.

It always worried me when someone asks for example or why something might be considered useless ... it's as if they haven't ever tried anything else themselves or only look at things from a very specific and possibly narrow minded POV? ;-(

I don't 'like' iPads / Phones over Android devices but I have an iPod and iPhone I can play with and I have enough exposure to Mums iPad (often putting right what she has messed up) to know why but also accept that may not be the same for everyone (and why). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Andy Burns]

Any un-patched windows machine is vulnerable, but the patch for WinXP/Win2K3/Win8 wasn't made available until yesterday, and the NHS has plenty of XP machines ...

I've spent large chunks of the weekend scanning $UNNAMEDBLUELIGHTSERVICE machines with metasploit, plenty of vulnerable machines found :-(

[T i m]

And this is in many respects a classic example of what I was talking about when you come up against a 'fanboy' for any OS (or anything really). They are so deep into their 'beliefs' (they are beliefs because they cannot be supported or proven), they simply cannot consider for one second why their chosen OS (Linux in Barclays case) hasn't crawled much past 5% of the desktop market since it was created (in spite of it being Free and free etc). ;-(

Except, by 'insanity' I would have simply been quoting FACT but because it doesn't seem to fit his / their 'beliefs', I am an infidel who must be the enemy. The irony of this is I could well have advocated and installed Linux for more people than they have (probably because as a 'normal I have more friends than they have). ;-)

Again, you can see how their minds work. If someone doesn't get something as quickly as they did / do, they must be doing it for some conspiracy reasons, not simply because I'm hardware guy not a programmer etc.

Again, the sort of misunderstanding of a statement that would only come from someone without the intellect or empathy to fully understand exactly why people might do, or want to do things. Why we aren't all into football or wine-making etc.

What I *actually* stated is it was never my *PRIMARY INTENTION* to

*learn Linux* but to use it, just in the same way it was never my PRIMARY INTENTION to learn Windows, OSX or Spectrum Basic but one often has to do and therefore often learn *something* to be able to use these things.

When I was a Certified Novell Instructor, I saw the market for Netware slowly diminish, (to NT Server), not because NT was better (possibly quite the opposite at some levels) but anyone with a PC, the installation CD and a mouse could install NT.

So, you could bung the CD in, boot from it, install NT Server and often get the server up and running, just by exploring and ready the numerous context sensitive prompts. Not the same with Netware (3.12 anyway).

So, just because I just wanted to be able to USE Linux, just like I have used OSX and Windows, but couldn't use Linux because say the video wasn't working, or the Wireless .. or even the wired mouse (FFS!), and didn't simply accept that it was my fault for not wanting to suddenly be a software engineer by writing drivers or scripts or probing and logging stuff, I just wanted to use this OS that was being formally touted as 'Easy to install and use', the geeks got all hot under the collar (perfect expected of course, just as many do if they

*think* you are insulting their religion etc).

So, as with most cowards in the world, the only thing they can do is first attack, and then run away and hide. The reason that's the only thing they can do is because there often aren't any positive answers to the questions I am asking ... and they don't like that of course. ;-(

From what you have seen. Luckily, in amongst the nerds, freaks and fanboys the are some really good and helpful people and I got to a point when I realised I was wasting my time trying to offer up fact, logic, honest argument and reason to those who were two bind to see .... and have enjoyed a much happier life because of that.

Of course I am, that's why you hide behind your cowardly killfile and think that it's reasonable that I am an idiot when I seem to get on with a good many people here and elsewhere ... similarly reasonable people who aren't social misfits on some form of crusade. ;-(

No one in their right mind would take anyone's word for anything on Usenet, except they might find someone who seems to vocalise and mirror their personal experiences more 'believable than any cowardly fanatic?

Of course you do, we wouldn't expect you to say anything else ... but they why wouldn't you when you are only able to understand the world of *you* and are completely oblivious to everyone else?

*I* can understand how you could find Linux very useful and I can also fully understand why you might dislike or even hate Apple or Microsoft, just as I can understand how someone could blow themselves up in a busy shopping centre. The difference between us is you wouldn't have a clue why I wouldn't do that and so just make stuff up in the hope is justify's your cause / cowardice to others ... ;-(

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

I don't know abut wasting but they (even the individual hospitals) do seem to spend seriously large sums of money.

In one I was driving an outpatient to there was a board in the foyer that had, in descending order, the money they had recently spent on stuff.

The top on the list was something like £23M for an X-Ray machine for the maternity wing, followed by £17M for a 5 story carpark!

I wasn't quite so begrudging of the £3/hour to park after that. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Tim Watts]

SMBv2 according to some sources.

Monday is going to be interesting. WannaCry v2 with the killswitch removed is expected to kick off.

[charles]

Are you saying that nobody working for the NHS should receive emails?

[T i m]

I just downloaded the 32 bit version and tried to install it on this

32bit version of XP ... and it tells me to try installing the 32 bit version? Not a good start? ;-(

And I think my Ubuntu on the other PC is also 32 bit and they only do a 64 bit version for Linux. ;-(

Cheers, T i m

[Chris Hogg]

As of February, MS don't recommend turning off SMBv2

"Warning: We do not recommend that you disable SMBv2 or SMBv3. Disable SMBv2 or SMBv3 only as a temporary troubleshooting measure. Do not leave SMBv2 or SMBv3 disabled."

or

Article ID: 2696547 - Last Review: 28 Feb 2017 - Revision: 23

I've just done the bit for turning off SMBv1, but whether it was necessary or had already been done, I don't know, as I keep up-to-date with all the MS updates. The registry entry confirms it's disabled. I'm running Win 7 32 bit FYI.

[Handsome Jack]

Chris Hogg posted

It tells you to run a "cmdlet" (whatever that is) to turn it off, but that doesn't work on my version of XP. Or at least I couldn't see how to make it work. Is a "cmdlet" like a CLI command, but smaller?

[Andy Burns]

You can download a VM image of Kali Linux with all the bells and whistles installed, then add the wanacrypt0r detection module

[Andy Burns]

I think there's a little confusion, some people associate SMBv1 with NETBIOS port TCP/139 and pre-Win2K, and associate SMBv2 with port TCP/445 and post-Win2K, but the split is not that rigid.

The worm part uses port 445, but it's still an SMBv1 vulnerability it exploits.

more than likely ...

[Andy Burns]

A cmdlet is part of powershell, which didn't exist when XP was released, though you can install powershell v1.0 or 2.0 for XP, depending on your service pack, but the first few versions were quite primitive and it will probably lack whichever cmdlet they asking you to run to disable SMBv1 for Vista or above ...

[T i m]

Thanks for that Andy.

Ironically I downloaded and burned a copy of Kali the other day for a mate for use on some network copier job but I didn't do a copy for myself. I will now. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

p.s. I also tried installing the 32 bit installer on my 32b W10 but got the same message.

[Chris Hogg]

With Win7, in the Start Box, you type 'power' (without the commas), which brings up powershell, and then paste the appropriate cmdlet. But XP doesn't have powershell, but you can install it if you have XP SP3.

Perhaps it's possible to turn off SMBv1 via the registry using regedit as described for Win7 in that article I linked to at the top, but that assumes the same registry layout for XP.

[Handsome Jack]

Chris Hogg posted

I had a look in the registry, but there doesn't seem to be anything in it about SMB, of any flavour.

[Tim Streater]

All their emails should be routed through a central mail gateway where virus checking can de done in a robust and up-to-date manner. Then you don't rely on thousands of PCs all being correctly updated.

[Chris Hogg]

A related query: In all the discussions about this worm on the Internet, I've seen it recommended to check the status of the various ports to see what's open etc, using netstat. When I try this, a table showing their status flashes up the screen and vanishes and doesn't allow me to get any useful information from it. While there are various web sites that list all the parameters you can append to the netstat command, none seem to be appropriate to stopping it on the screen so that you can actually read it. But people obviously can, so how can I ?