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| Passwords protect you from Worms |
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Morto is a worm that allows unauthorized access to an affected computer. It may not sound that serious, but once on your machine it has full administrator access, giving it access to all the files and information on your computers. Morto (otherwise know as "Worm: Win32/Morto.A") is an old‐fashioned computer worm, which spreads over the Internet and targets Windows workstations and servers by exploiting poorly chosen weak passwords. Over the last two weeks it has spread rapidly round the world, showing just how many organisations have weak administrator passwords on their network. If you had a large number of infected computers within your local network, the amount of traffic generated by the Morto worm might be so significant that it would effectively clog your system and slow it down to crawl. "Passwords are the keys to your computer and the data you hold on it" says Jon Stanton, Director at PEM IT Services. "But unlike your front door, hackers can try multiple passwords in a matter of minutes without you even noticing. A robust password policy, using at least 8 characters and forcing regular password changes, helps protect you and your information. It costs nothing to do this, but could save you a fortune in the long run." To help prevent infection, and consequent re‐infection, we recommend making sure that your organisation uses strong passwords for system and user accounts, and verify that you do not use standard passwords like those being used by the malware in order to spread (such as admin, admin123, *1234, letmein, password, server and 1234567890). If you have been caught out, changing your password will significantly decrease your chance of re‐infection. PEM IT Services advise organisations on Information Security. For more advice on protecting your data call PEM IT Services on 01223 728 205. |