There’s definately a correlation between computer security incidents and late August. Sasser, then Sobig. This week I’ve probably gotten 6 emails from CITES security on all sorts of new exploits and patches (or workarounds) from Microsoft, or Adobe, or Apple. What is it about the return of hundreds of thousands of students to colleges where their unpatched-from-the-summer-computers get turned back on to high speed, well-connected networks that makes netadmins and security analysts so nervous?

Oh, yeah. Exactly that. But even so, why so much publicity around late August. Some of these vulnerability have been around for months. Do hackers go overdrive in the summer, causing more ‘ploits in August? Do they think about college students coming back? Or do developers work all summer on their bugfixes and roll out the patch packages in mid-August, when they hope more people will install them?

Or am I just naturally busier in August? Security incidents/reports/notices pull me away from my other projects, and I notice them more?



One Comment to “Late August security incidents”

  1. Tony | August 18th, 2005 at 10:54 pm

    “Honey, where is my super suit?”
    Why do you want to know?

    OR,

    Honey, where is my dropdown box for themes?
    Autocratic BS that makes me not allowed to choose the theme done which I can looky-loo at your webbed site.

    I mean, interesting thoughts about hackers and developers. Not much difference between the two; one gets paid slightly better, and I’m not sure which one.