08.16.13
The NSA Can Now Ping to Death Windows-running PCs
Cyberwar cannot be won with Windows
Summary: The latest hole in Windows puts another type of weapon in the NSA’s arsenal
The NSA can brick some motherboards remotely (Windows-only and depending on the hardware [1, 2, 3]), hijack computers remotely (Windows-only), and even take them down remotely (Windows-only), thanks to help from Microsoft (NSA collusion with Microsoft). Many fools don’t mind this. They think it’s normal and they trust the CIA/NSA, even when people like Prof. Chomsky have illegal files kept on them by the CIA, then destroyed, then lied about. Dissent is 'terrorism' now and so is activism for transparency.
Joab Jackson shows this latest Windows hole, which the NSA already knows about and is permitted to exploit with impunity (NSA is above the law). To quote:
Microsoft Patch Tuesday: The Ping of Death returns, IPv6-style
This bulletins serve as a reminder for Microsoft and other software vendors that rely on third-party libraries or programs that “vulnerabilities can bubble up through the supply chain,” Kandek said.
These patches would apply to all supported versions of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2013.
The third critical bulletin only applies to Windows XP and Windows Server 2013, and involves exploiting a hole in Microsoft’s OpenType fonts. It may be one of the last vulnerabilities Microsoft will fix for the aging OS.
With Windows you simply have no control over your computer. The NSA leaks help reinforce this fact. █
Needs Sunlight said,
August 16, 2013 at 5:07 am
Interesting that M$ solution to this problem is to tell people to disable IPv6. Windows has been holding back the net for decades now and this latest is no exception. For security we should all be using IPv6.
Like most other holes it affect also the latest iterations of Windows. Real security improvements can only be gained by leaving Windows behind. However, in situations where you have managers or employees pushing Windows, you have a staffing problem that can only be solved by dismissing those boosting M$ at the expense of their own employer. Doing so is not an easy task but just because it can be hard does not make it any less important.
Then again IPv6 would have prevented PRISM from working as it does.