Simulation of how worms spread

[dparm]

Pulled this off of Slashdot. (http://enterprisesecurity.symantec.com/content.cfm?articleid=5479)


A very cool way to watch how a virus/worm spreads to different networks. Helps put the whole thing in perspective.

[jmcgon]

That's awesome.

BTW - We need a spyware/virus forum IMO... *eyes Mark* *hint* *hint* *nudge*

[fischerm]

In the public section for the general campus community or a private oscr one for you guys? I could see it under general computing questions i guess. Or it could be a sub-forum of windows :D

[dparm]

If it is public, I don't want to see it get bombarded with questions like "i have a program called CoolWebSearch, does it make my intarnet faster?!"

Not that we get oodles of public action in here anyways, but I think we should set it to be purely tech-related. There are several threads we could move in there right away.

[jmcgon]

I don't see a problem with it being public. Although with the unregistered postings available it could be an issue as I can see a few of those this morning in other forums. Allow guests to read, but have to sign in with Netid to post.

Most if not all people I field in Replay are spyware/virus related. Analyzing peoples' Hijackthis logs online and walking them through how to do it themselves is an option I wouldn't mind exploring. The difference this would be from forums like spywareinfo.com (I’m a Helper there, prolly why I’m so into this ;)) is if the infection is bad enough (vx2 etc) or they do not feel computer savvy enough to perform the fix... we could simple ask them to please bring it in to us for a 1on1. Although, I know quite a few people with desktops who would not like to lug it around. Would be nice over holidays like summer break for many too.

Confetti would fall from the sky and champagne bottles would open!

[dparm]

It would just need to be moderated/monitored. An "FAQ" of the sorts would be nice (commonly asked questions).

[ajj]

i think it would be a great idea, especially if Replay (and OSCR) is becoming like a 'do-it-yourself' help shop. (yes i do know that the tech arena is in control now for 1-to-1 help). I could see this being a part of what people in Replay would be responsible for.

[dparm]

When we take one-on-one appointments, we always try to educate the students. We explain what we're doing at all times, and explain how to keep their machines clean. The way I look at it is that if we do our jobs right, we should not get any repeat customers.

Caution would need to be exercised, however. If a student misinterprets our instructions, we could have a real problem. I don't want to be creating new customers with corrupted systems and the like.

We have one-on-one appointments for a reason. Telling them how to do too much would put us out of business.