Slammer
By: Sandy Berger Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2003-01-31 12:10:25
The Slammer Worm
By Sandy Berger
The “Slammer” worm, also known as “Sapphire” recently attacked Windows servers around the world. Businesses, banks, government agencies, and universities were infected. Many telecommunications systems in Asia and Europe were completely overwhelmed. Some North American ATM machines ceased to function. Even some servers at Microsoft’s own campus in Washington were said to have been “slammed” by the “Slammer”.p>
The worm appeared on Saturday, and by Monday more than 150,000 servers were said to be infected. IT professionals worked quickly to remove the virus and return their networks to pre-Slammer conditions.
All of this could have been avoided. Slammer used a known flaw in Microsoft’s SQL Server 2000 database software. The SQL database is a part of Windows software that is used by many businesses including financial institutions. Microsoft posted an update for this flaw in July, 2002.
So what is a person to do? Here is my suggestion. Before you download the Service Pack back up all your important files. Also, be sure you create a Restore Point so that if the Service Release causes any problems you can easily restore your computer to its previous state. (Creating a Restore Point is easy. Click on Start-All Programs-Accessories-System Tools- System Restore-Create Restore Point.)
I’ve told you how important it is to update your Windows software, and many of you are following my instructions. If the businesses that use this software would have installed the update last July this latest round of virus attacks would not have affected them. While this worm does not infiltrate normal home computer users, it does bring home one important point: Updating your operating system is a wise move for everyone.
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