dealing with w32/bagle

Fri Mar 5 11:54:08 UTC 2004

Curtis Maurand wrote:
> On Thu, 4 Mar 2004, Laurence F. Sheldon, Jr. wrote:
>
>>
>> Jeff Shultz wrote:
>>
>> There are others.
>> unquote
>>
>
> But nothing that's been developed.  Joe user's ip address changes on a
> regular basis.  One would still need to find that machine.  DNS gets
> cached (some go past TTL's I've set.)  and is too static to be an
> effective means to get a file.
>
> Most instant messengers have facilities for exchanging files, but both
> sides need to be connected at the same time.  Having that file in an
> email is better.
>
> I like SCP, too.  It works well, so well that I use that, instead of
> ftp. You still have to find the other end that has its address
> changed every day or two.  With email, only one end needs to be
> connected at any one time.  email is about the most convenient and
> easiest way that I know of to get pictures of little Johnnie to
> Grandmother in a way that is easy for her to understand.  Whatever
> anyone proposes needs to be that easy. Chances are that Grandma's not
> a geek like most of us.

In terms of whether the system is open to abuse or not, part of the problem
is simplicity you need to achieve for it to take off in the first place. If
it's simple, it can be automated. If it can be automated it's open to
automated abuse.

(NB/OT: Perhaps the only solution is systems that can detect when they are
being abused and do something to force manual intervention. That could take
whatever form it needs to, from manual account reactivation, more passwords,
or reverse turing tests - depending on which party is required to take
action.

But I don't see systems like this being developed and deployed anytime soon
;) )