Vulnerable to a DNS cache poisoning at home?
On Wednesday, an exploit code allowing someone to attack the domain name system (DNS) became available. No one has yet used the code, but the advice is simple: Patch. Now. While most of the burden is on the Domain Name System servers and the various systems that support them, the nature of the flaw is such that desktop clients also need to patch their software as well.
First, to determine whether your DNS system is vulnerable, use either of these tests:
If the test returns a message similar to "Your name server, at 2xx.2xx.1xx.1x, appears vulnerable to DNS Cache Poisoning," then you may need to patch your desktop system.
Windows users
If you automatically apply Microsoft Updates to your Windows computer, you should have received Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-037; if you don't automatically apply updates, you should click the link and apply this patch ASAP.
ZoneAlarm users
If you use ZoneAlarm, however, make sure you are running the latest release, 7.0.48, before installing MS08-037. There is a known incompatibility with the Microsoft patch and older versions of ZoneAlarm.
Mac or Linux users
If you are running
Mac OS or Linux, see this US CERT page for the latest patch details. As of Thursday, Apple has not issued a patch for its Mac OS X operating system.
Still, in the end, protection from any DNS exploit also depends on your upstream ISP providers. As of Monday, researcher Neal Krawetz was reporting that servers at several high-profile ISPs remained vulnerable.
As CNET's resident security expert, Robert Vamosi has been interviewed on the BBC, CNN, MSNBC, and other outlets to share his knowledge about the latest online threats and to offer advice on personal and corporate security. Listen to his podcast at securitybites.cnet.com or e-mail Robert with your questions and comments. 
I can understand if they want to be coy about exactly how far they are in the patching process - perhaps there are still a few unpatched machines - but to feign total ignorance of the issue is absurd, and a little unnerving to me as a customer.
You can find Comcast Security phone number, 888-565-4329, at security.comcast.net > Get Help > Contact Comcast Security.
If they are actually oblivious, it's downright scary. If they are just stonewalling, they need to learn that this is a very bad customer experience when the exploit has been made public.
One thing all of the hijacked names have in common is their registrar, Register.com, which was apparently able to fix the problem within about 20 minutes. Let's hope the parties involved are up-front enough to explain what happened.
https://www.dns-oarc.net/
- by cohaver July 25, 2008 8:25 AM PDT
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