Comments on: Mystery virus strikes FBI, U.S. Marshals

Law-enforcement agencies are forced to shut down their networks after being affected by a virus of undetermined type and origin.

[pentest]

It was probably some moron on the inside downloading and installing crapware.

From what I have seen, the machines on government networks are not locked down very tight. It takes one idiot, and an entire network can be compromised.

Security people pay too much attention to external threats and don't pay any attention to the most dangerous: ignorant users inside their network. Most of the insiders aren't malicious, just uneducated about using computers.

[Captain-Atari]

The problem with Gov networks is the same as most Corporate Networks. Too much Microsoft Windows. If you're going to make Windows your desktop standard then you should use another platform for print and file services.( i.e Novell Netware or Novell OES.) At this point in time why even bother with Exchange and Outlook as both are very vulnerable when you could run Lotus Notes or GroupWise on a *nix platform. These guys use an entire Windows platform for everything and then one worm or zero day exploit can cripple the entire enterprise. It's not Microsoft fault that MANY CIO's ARE THAT STUPID AFTER A DECADE OF SECURITY PROBLEMS ON THE WINDOWS PLATFORM. Microsoft's main job is to sell software. It's up to the CIO to implement sound strategies that mitigate risk.

[GrendalH]

Penetration test says that windows and mac are easiest to hack than microsoft.

About viruses thats a layer 8 issue: "problem between the keyboard and chair".

[AnthonyNYC]

So if all FBI and other Intelligence agencies were only using Macs and Linux, then all the real spyware made by foreign governments would surely be written for macs, don't kid yourself, Nothing is secure! out of the box, as you put it.