Comments on: Experts: Microsoft-Yahoo alliance is food for IM worms

Connecting Microsoft and Yahoo's IM services creates an environment where a worm could spread farther than ever before, experts say.

[pkorona]

Overstated?

Worms generally spread by taking advantage of errors in the code which allow things like buffer overruns. But this sounds like sharing of protocols, not implementations of the IM client. Unless the implementations share the same bugs, it doesn't seem like this increases the risk much.

[aabcdefghij987654321]

Worm will have to be more complex

A cross network worm is still possible but it has to exploit different vulnerabilities in both networks. It's unlikely to actually happen though since it's going to increase the complexity of the worm beyond that ability of the type of cretin that writes them.

[pkorona]

Overstated?

Worms generally spread by taking advantage of errors in the code which allow things like buffer overruns. But this sounds like sharing of protocols, not implementations of the IM client. Unless the implementations share the same bugs, it doesn't seem like this increases the risk much.

[aabcdefghij987654321]

Worm will have to be more complex

A cross network worm is still possible but it has to exploit different vulnerabilities in both networks. It's unlikely to actually happen though since it's going to increase the complexity of the worm beyond that ability of the type of cretin that writes them.

[n3td3v]

Experts?

Why do the experts only make statements on what is obvious already and never come up with a solution, or is this just cnet's fault for the style of reporting. The new YMSN IM isn't coming out until next year, so whats the point in this story at the moment? YMSN have only just finished shaking hands. If the experts are really experts, they should be coming up with solutions for Yahoo and MSN, instead of answering CNET journalists requests for comment at such an early stage.

[n3td3v]

Experts?

Why do the experts only make statements on what is obvious already and never come up with a solution, or is this just cnet's fault for the style of reporting. The new YMSN IM isn't coming out until next year, so whats the point in this story at the moment? YMSN have only just finished shaking hands. If the experts are really experts, they should be coming up with solutions for Yahoo and MSN, instead of answering CNET journalists requests for comment at such an early stage.

?

The first thing I do with any new computer of mine is uninstall Microsoft's instant mess.
Even though I'm an SBC/Yahoo DSL customer I refuse to install any of their junk either.
I don't really understand what is wrong with IRC, it's been around forever, it's safe when used with a little common sense etc. Oh, I know it doesn't have 32bit true color smiley faces :-(

:-(

When I actually typed a colon, hyphen, and an opening parenthesis I was making a statement.
I didn't realize this web site was going to automatically turn it into a 32bit true color smiley face that looks a little blue to me.
Guess I made my point.

?

The first thing I do with any new computer of mine is uninstall Microsoft's instant mess.
Even though I'm an SBC/Yahoo DSL customer I refuse to install any of their junk either.
I don't really understand what is wrong with IRC, it's been around forever, it's safe when used with a little common sense etc. Oh, I know it doesn't have 32bit true color smiley faces :-(

:-(

When I actually typed a colon, hyphen, and an opening parenthesis I was making a statement.
I didn't realize this web site was going to automatically turn it into a 32bit true color smiley face that looks a little blue to me.
Guess I made my point.

What!?

With Yahoo and MSN combining with 5 mil. less than AIM, isnt AIM a bigger problem with worms than Yahoo or MSN combined? There will still be a lot of users, but AIM still has 5 mil. more than both of them combined.. they way I see it, I wont worry until all three of them merge togeather.

What!?

With Yahoo and MSN combining with 5 mil. less than AIM, isnt AIM a bigger problem with worms than Yahoo or MSN combined? There will still be a lot of users, but AIM still has 5 mil. more than both of them combined.. they way I see it, I wont worry until all three of them merge togeather.

[The Vanish]

Don't even think about it!

I use yahoo for one major reason. That is to IM without having to worry about anything. Right now, Yahoo messanger is the most secure IM I found. You cannot screw it up. With the add vent of adding Microsoft (**********) to the mix, you will find a bunch of hackers, black hats, and everybody trying to place every virus known to mankind on your system. And it happened before.

AOL 6.0 and up for example. They added Microsoft (Crappysoft) to the AOL software and the minute I dialed in, a whole bunch of Adware, viruses, tracking software, and more ended up on my computer which brought the system to its knees. I could not do anything on the system. On the next start up, I got the blue screen of death. The only thing left was to rebuild my system from scratch which took several hours. After the rebuild, I tried to dialed in and it happens again. After that, I said, "$@%# Microsoft and AOL." Now I am on Cable modem with Router.

I did ask them why and they said, "Its improves speed of there service." I said, "Yea right, it improves the speed of getting a virus. Of course, support did not care and they stuck to there speed theory. As you know, I left there service because of it.

WHY DON'T ANYONE UNDERSTAND THAT MICROSOFT IS THE WORSTEST SOFTWARE ON THE FACE OF THIS PLANET!!!! STOP JOINING MICROSOFT!!!! STILL THE EVIDENCE KEEPS POINTING TO THERE CRAPPY SOFTWARE IS THE CAUSE FOR VIRUS TO GET ONBOARD YOUR COMPUTER!!!!!!!! AS USUAL, MICROSOFT WILL TRY TO DISCLAIM THE TRUTH.

All I want to say to Yahoo is, "Don't even think about joining microsoft!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Yahoo is the best thing that ever happened and I don't want it to change.

[The Vanish]

Don't even think about it!

I use yahoo for one major reason. That is to IM without having to worry about anything. Right now, Yahoo messanger is the most secure IM I found. You cannot screw it up. With the add vent of adding Microsoft (**********) to the mix, you will find a bunch of hackers, black hats, and everybody trying to place every virus known to mankind on your system. And it happened before.

AOL 6.0 and up for example. They added Microsoft (Crappysoft) to the AOL software and the minute I dialed in, a whole bunch of Adware, viruses, tracking software, and more ended up on my computer which brought the system to its knees. I could not do anything on the system. On the next start up, I got the blue screen of death. The only thing left was to rebuild my system from scratch which took several hours. After the rebuild, I tried to dialed in and it happens again. After that, I said, "$@%# Microsoft and AOL." Now I am on Cable modem with Router.

I did ask them why and they said, "Its improves speed of there service." I said, "Yea right, it improves the speed of getting a virus. Of course, support did not care and they stuck to there speed theory. As you know, I left there service because of it.

WHY DON'T ANYONE UNDERSTAND THAT MICROSOFT IS THE WORSTEST SOFTWARE ON THE FACE OF THIS PLANET!!!! STOP JOINING MICROSOFT!!!! STILL THE EVIDENCE KEEPS POINTING TO THERE CRAPPY SOFTWARE IS THE CAUSE FOR VIRUS TO GET ONBOARD YOUR COMPUTER!!!!!!!! AS USUAL, MICROSOFT WILL TRY TO DISCLAIM THE TRUTH.

All I want to say to Yahoo is, "Don't even think about joining microsoft!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Yahoo is the best thing that ever happened and I don't want it to change.

[RoseBlood74]

Trillian

Well, I use Trillian, and I haven't been affected by any IM viruses yet... And I get to talk to people from almost every messenger on the Web. :)

[RoseBlood74]

Trillian

Well, I use Trillian, and I haven't been affected by any IM viruses yet... And I get to talk to people from almost every messenger on the Web. :)