Mydoom.F Strikes iSeries Shops
 FEBRUARY
25, 2004—A new variant of the Mydoom worm
began making its way around the Internet last Friday,
and this particularly nasty worm has already caused a great
deal of damage to users—including iSeries shops—thanks
to its ability to delete files.
W32/Mydoom.f@MM, or simply
Mydoom.F, is a mass-mailing and share-hopping worm based
upon the original Mydoom code. The second variation, Mydoom.B,
dropped the worm’s code making it readily
available to virus writers. Experts believe that Mydoom.F
originates from a different author than the original.
Like
earlier variants of Mydoom, this new worm launches distributed
denial of service (DDoS) attacks, this time against Microsoft
and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
In addition, Mydoom.F searches for and deletes files on local
and mapped drives. Primarily the worm targets images files
and Microsoft Word and Excel documents and searches for extensions
.bmp, .avi, .jpg, .sav, .xls, .doc, and .mdb. The worm runs
in a loop and deletes additional files on each pass.
Mapped drives
need not be physically located on the infected system in
order to be affected by Mydoom.F. Drives located on other
platforms that can house Windows files can be equally affected.
Bytware,
Inc., the Reno, Nevada-based developer of StandGuard Anti-Virus
for the IBM eServer iSeries, has been contacted by several
iSeries shops that have suffered data loss caused by Mydoom.F
infection of networked PCs. The iSeries is generally viewed as
invulnerable to viruses. A common practice of scanning the iSeries
with a Windows PC through a mapped drive can open a door for
worms and viruses to the iSeries.
In addition to file deletion
and DDoS attacks, the Mydoom.F worm opens TCP port 1080, and
additional ports in the range of 3000 to 5000, in an attempt
to allow the author access to infected machines.
Mydoom.F arrives
as an e-mail attachment of a variety of files types, including
.zip. Upon identifying shared or mapped drives, the worm makes
copies of itself as .zip archives or .exe files in different
directories using random file names. It also propagates by harvesting
e-mail addresses from infected systems and mass mailing itself
using its own SMTP engine.
Most AV vendors have added definitions
for Mydoom.F and experts urge users to update their anti-virus
software and to protect all systems, including non-Windows platforms
that may act as file servers and are attached to Windows PCs
via mapped drives.
For more information about Mydoom.F, visit
the Network Associates Virus Information Library at http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_101038.htm
For more information about iSeries anti-virus protection, visit the
main StandGuard Anti-Virus page.
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Japanese Scientists Create Robot Stand-up Comic
 TOKYO
-- Long known for their technological prowess and creativity,
scientists in Japan have created the world's first robot
capable of telling jokes. Debuting next month in pubs
in the popular Tokyo entertainment district of Roppongi,
the new robot—dubbed Joku—promises to fire off
one-liners as well as more complex, humorous yarns.
"This is something we building towards for many years," said
Ichiro Hayashi, lead scientist on Joku's development team. "Robots
who build cars or play trumpet are nice... and they are useful...
but the goal from beginning has been to break into comedy."
Hayashi
goes on to explain how Joku works. "Using
Sony memory stick, we load Joku-san with a collection
of jokes provided by some of world's best comics. Particularly
popular with test audience has been the 'You might be a robot
if...' jokes."
But Joku is not limited to pre-selected material from human
comics. Using the latest in artificial intelligence, Joku
is able to develop its own material. What comes out is very
original, as humans have never before been able to look into
the robot psyche.
Joku
gave its first performance for a test audience on March 19.
A few highlights of the performance included:
"Nice to see you all
tonight. You know, the other day I was on queue at the theater
when someone walked up to me and said, 'Excuse me buddy,
what are you going to see tonight?' I responded to his query,
'01101001100!' "
"Have you ever noticed how some
people ask the dumbest questions? Last weekend I
was at this party and some women approached me. One of them
said, 'So are you a robot or something?' Obviously, my response
was '1100100110011!' "
Hayashi says that some members of the audience
did not get the punchline to Joku's stories. "We've had a bit of
problem with binary translation," explained
the scientist. "It happens mostly when Joku tries to wrap up a long
story. We've encouraged him to stick to "You might be a robot if..." jokes,
such as:
"If you have on metal and it is not your
clothing, you might be a robot."
"If your idea of a soothing
bath includes rolling in oil, you might be a robot."
"If your
favorite insult involves the term 'motherboard,' you might
be a robot."
"If you have the hots for the Enterprise's
computer, you might be a robot."
"If your favorite numbers are
0 and 1, you
might be a robot."
"If you rust in the rain, you might be a
robot."
"If you were born with a 3-year warranty,
you might be a robot."
"If you wake up in the middle of the night
yelling 'Danger! Danger!' you might be a robot."
"If your resume
contains the phrase 'can build cars on command,' you might be a robot."
If you're interested in seeing Joku first-hand, Hayashi says that performances will be opened up to the general public on April 6. The debut will take place at the Almond Cafe in Roppongi.
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Martian Methane: What Does it All Mean?
PASADENA, CA --
The continuing odyssey that is the Mars missions has
handed scientists yet another surprise: the discovery of
methane in the Martian atmosphere.
The recent discovery by the European Space Agency's Mars
Express has been confirmed by ground-based teams here on
Earth using the world's most powerful telescopes. NASA scientist
Michael Mumma of Goddard Space Flight Center and Vladimir
Krasnopolosky of the Catholic University of America have
both obtained the same readings as Mars Express: methane
in the quantity of 10.5 parts per billion on the Red Planet.
On Earth methane enters
the atmosphere through volcanic activity, through seeping
from fissures, and from mathanogenic bacteria which produce
the gas a waste product. The same sources would apply to
Mars, but scientists have thus far been unable to say which
is the actual source.
A number of spacecraft now orbit Mars, and none
have detected volcanic activity. This has led many to lean
towards the presence of microbial life on the planet -- a
discovery that would be truly sensational.
"I think the first possibility,
volcanism, is probably best," explained
Augustin Chicarro, project scientist for the ESA Mars Express
mission. "Volcanism
has not been ruled out as a modern phenomena on Mars."
The possibility
of long-ago comet impacts has also been suggested as a source
for the methane. But methane has a short lifespan in the
Martian atmosphere and would need to be replenished every
hundred years or so.
All of these
possibilities are scientifically significant, but perhaps
none more so than the one no one is talking about: Martian
cows.
"The
scientists at NASA and ESA seem to be forgetting that one
of the biggest sources of atmospheric methane on Earth is
cow flatulance," said
Jacob Campbell, an offical with the Global Dairy Association. "They
talk about volcanoes and comets and microbes, but did they
ever stop to look for cows?"
Herds of cattle on the Red Planet would
indeed be sensational, and with no hard evidence of life
on Mars of any kind, the idea that bovine flocks could be
roaming the Martian deserts is a bit hard to swallow.
Not deterred, however, California
cheesemakers are already gearing up to license out their
popular slogan. "Martian Cows are Happy
Cows" is expected to be as big a hit as the Real California Cheese
campaign.
"We know it will be a big hit," promises
Campbell.
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Other Technology Stories
Be sure to uncover all the clues...
Issue 1
Competition Fierce in Online
Commerce Management Technology
With online commerce growing by more than 20% year over year, the market
for management software allowing companies to maximize their online efforts
is hot. The recent scandal involving local tech company Evans Business Solutions
and their rival, Extar Systems, is a prime example. :: View
full story.
Wireless
LAN Hot, But Not Without Its Risks
It seems like the perfect technology: wireless networking. Access your data
and the Internet from anywhere in your home or office. Like wireless keyboards
and mice, it spells technological liberation for a culture that puts convenience
above all else. There's no doubt it's convenient; but is it safe? :: View
full story.
Bytware's
StandGuard Solutions for iSeries ServerProven by IBM
Bytware, Inc., the leading provider of iSeries security
and anti-virus solutions, announces that its StandGuard security
and anti-virus solutions have been granted the "ServerProven" certification
by IBM. :: View
full story.
Issue 2
And the winner is: StandGuard
Anti-Virus!
Bytware's native anti-virus solution for the iSeries has been named 'Product of the
Year' in the Security Products category of the Search400.com 'Products
of the Year' Awards.
View full story.
Mydoom
Hits iSeries
As the original Mydoom worm (W32/Mydoom@MM) continues to spread at blazing
speeds around the world, a second variant has been unleashed and is adding
to the already overwhelming bandwidth consumption worldwide. In another
twist that may have been unexpected by many IT administrators, Mydoom has
also hit the iSeries.
View full story.
Automatic
Picture Shaker a Godsend for Polaroid Fans
For decades users of Polaroid's instant camera technology
have been shaking their snapshots. Common belief holds that
this action helps the photo develop. Now that the popular
musical group Outkast has encouraged millions to "shake
it like a Polaroid picture," the activity has become the latest craze.
:: View full story.
Issue 3
Mydoom.F Strikes iSeries Shops
A new variant of the Mydoom worm recently made its way around the Internet,
and this particularly nasty worm caused a great deal of damage to users—including iSeries shops—thanks to its ability to delete files. :: View
full story.
Japanese Scientists
Create Robot Stand-up Comic
Long known for their technological prowess and creativity, scientists in
Japan have created the world's first robot capable of telling jokes. :: View
full story.
Martian
Methane: What Does it All Mean?
The continuing odyssey that is the Mars missions has handed scientists yet
another surprise: the discovery of methane in the Martian atmosphere. :: View
full story.
Issue 4
Bytware and IBM Ink Anti-Virus Distribution Agreement
Bytware, Inc. and IBM signed an agreement this week allowing Bytware's StandGuard Anti-Virus for iSeries to be shipped with all distributions of IBM's eServer iSeries new operating system, i5/OS V5R3 (OS/400 Version 5 Release 3). :: View full story.
Alarm Clock Maker Unveils Shocking New Product
There's one morning routine that is a worldwide constant: snooze slapping. It's that action of beating the alarm clock silly for an extra 15 minutes of sack time that has one Japanese tech company aiming to turn a constant action into a constant revenue stream. :: View full story.
IBM's New eServer i5 Achieves Leading Result on SAP(R) Benchmark
IBM has announced that the new IBM eServer i5 Model 520 has achieved the record result in the important two-tier SAP® Sales and Distribution (SD) Standard Application Benchmark on a 2-way POWER5 processor-based system. :: View full story.
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