Re: MSN TV prank creating "emergencies"

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

Fowarded from: security curmudgeon <jericho () attrition org>

> http://news.com.com/2100-1040-945911.html?tag=fd_top
>
> [Its not a complete week for me unless there is at least one news
> report about a Microsoft vulnerability. - WK]

It's the fun news that keep us sane.

> By Robert Lemos 
> Staff Writer, CNET News.com
> July 23, 2002, 2:15 PM PT

> "One lady in her group ended up with the sheriff knocking at her
> door,"  the woman wrote.
>
> The prank is not the first time that a malicious program has been
> used to call 911. In April 2000, the National Infrastructure
> Protection Center warned that a computer virus was causing infected
> PCs to dial emergency services.

I checked McAfee who only had a reference to this, then Symantec who
had some vague reference to other "911" viruses.

I was trying to find the original "911 virus", circa 1990 or before.
This was back in the BBS days. A more 'traditional' virus (do we
remember what those are? =) instead of one of those fancy new worm
thingies. It's payload was using the computer modem to dial 911
silently in the background instead of deleting the hard drive or
popping up some cute graphic. I'm sure many on the list will remember
the original.



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