The Zotob worm blame game

While it doesn't take much to get pro- and anti-Microsoft camps throwing online jabs at one another, the friction was only fueled this week by a worm attacking the Windows 2000 operating system. Malicious attackers began circulating variants of Zotob and other viruses shortly after Microsoft's regular monthly patch release, which included a fix for the problem.

Later in the week, an online poll of customers conducted by security company Sophos found that 35 percent of respondents blamed Microsoft for the outbreak, 45 percent placed the blame squarely on the virus writers, and 20 percent laid blame on their systems administrators for not patching systems fast enough.

Bloggers couldn't help but weigh in on the blame game.

Blog community response:

"It gets on my nerves how people will continue using unpatched versions of operating systems and then blame Microsoft for this...The staff members who complain about updating are only digging their own graves and are not being efficient in their work."
--Jared's Blog

"Let's try something different Mr. Gates! Announce the vulnerability as you field the new patch! I know it is a radical idea sir??and you didn't even have to pay an exorbitant consultant fee for what is common sense."
--ROFASix

Blaming Microsoft is "kind of like blaming the weather man for the rain. The weather man can only try his best. The weather, like bad guys and careless guys, is going to do what it wants."
--Charles Kunz, News.com reader