Weekend's Worm Attack

[kevinr]

I read in today's Arkansas Democrat Gazette, that Seattle's 911 Center was effected by the SQL Slammer worm. It said that it effected 2 Police Departments and 14 Fire Departments.

I was wondering if anyone has heard of other dispatch centers that were effected? Also, does anyone have a contengency plan in case the dispatch center is down?

If not, will you department start thinking about one?

[MrJim911]

Our CAD computer systems are not connected to the internet so they could not be affected by a internet virus. Our computers that are connected have so many firewalls I doubt it's possible we could be affected. It didn't cause any problems this time.

In 25 years our center has only gone down twice, both times because of lightning strikes. The county PSAP is our back up center and we are theirs. So if/when we go down we send a few people over there and they have the ability to transmit on our channel and vice versa. 911 lines are also switched so they come in at county.

I did jot hear of any PSAPS being efected by the worm.

[DualReverse]

Ya know..If systems would switch to Linux or Mac, this wouldn't be a problem...The attack was directed at exposing a security flaw in the Windows OS...

[kevinr]

Originally posted by DualReverse
Ya know..If systems would switch to Linux or Mac, this wouldn't be a problem...The attack was directed at exposing a security flaw in the Windows OS...

You are incorrect, the attack was directed against a security flaw in the SQL 2000 Server. It had nothing to do with Windows OS.

However, I grant you that Windows OS, along with Unix, Linux and MAC all have security flaws. However since Windows is the most popular, most attacks are directed against it.

[DualReverse]

Thanks for the SQL correction- I stand corrected. I would submit, however, that hacking a mac or lunix box are both infinately more difficult than getting into a windows box or server because the people who hack the windows systems are the ones using the other two...At one point in 2001, Mac OSX server was deemed 'hack proof'. I'm not naive enough to think that, but it bears some consideration...

Originally posted by kevinr


You are incorrect, the attack was directed against a security flaw in the SQL 2000 Server. It had nothing to do with Windows OS.

However, I grant you that Windows OS, along with Unix, Linux and MAC all have security flaws. However since Windows is the most popular, most attacks are directed against it.