Straight after Microsoft released a rare Emergency Windows Vista Security Patch last Thursday, the bad guys have already come up with several new ideas to take advantage of the bug. Security researchers identified the new worm, called Gimmiv that exploited a critical vulnerability in Windows. Additionally, a hacker posted an earlier sample of code that could be used to exploit the flaw on the Web.
Microsoft's patch was issued more than two weeks ahead of its next security update. This was done because it was discovered that the bug could be used to create an Internet worm attack. In addition, Microsoft had already faced a small number of attacks that exploited the flaw.
The Gimmiv Worm was created to steal passwords and send them back to the attacker. However most firewalls are going to block the transmission of these passwords, networks and individual computers that are not protected by a firewall are at serious risk in case they have not applied the new Emergency Windows Vista Security Patch.
This vulnerability is on the Windows Server service. It is used to connect with other devices on networks. Although the firewall software that ships with Windows is going to block the worm from spreading, security experts are worried that the flaw could be used to spread infections between computers on local-area networks, which are not commonly protected by firewalls.
The cause for the growth of the many instances of the Gimmiv Worm is that while releasing the Emergency Patch, uninformed hackers were also made aware of the serious effects of the bug in Windows Vista. A worm is a self-replicating computer program. It uses a network in order to send itself out to other computers accessible from the infected computer.
Users should take some tips from the information listed below:
1) Apply security patches to Windows Vista systems as soon as they are released. Users can automate this process by using the automatic update option on Windows Update.
2) Use a firewall, whether it be a hardware firewall (usually found in routers, etc.), or a software firewall (Windows Vista contains one). This is going to protect the Windows Vista system from either transmitting many instances of data stolen by a computer worm, like the Gimmiv Worm, or any other malicious software on the computer.
Resources:
Vista: a new worm named Gimmiv
Gimmiv worm exploits vulnerability