back to article 'Hundreds of computers' in Ukraine hit with wiper malware as conflict continues

Hundreds of computers in Ukraine have been infected with data-wiping Windows malware, say researchers at ESET. In a series of tweets on Wednesday, the infosec biz said it picked up its first sample of the software nasty at about 1500 UTC, and believes the code has been in the works for the past two months. "ESET telemetry …

  1. YetAnotherJoeBlow

    -And so it was - very underwhelming too... everyone waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  2. mevets

    MS Should own this.

    I think the next editions of this 30+ year old disgrace should be titled appropriately:

    - Capitulation

    - Weakest Link

    - All Ur Base

    ...

    20 years ago, Mission Critical often meant little more than " not windows ". Now, windows has infested not just critical infrastructure, but has ridden the wave of ubiquitous computer application in the social sphere.

    This social sphere is now part of the warfare target, a modern twist on the "Berlin Betty" approach to demoralization.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: MS Should own this.

      Well, I'll hazard I can do more damage on my laptop sitting in my pajamas before my first cup of Earl Grey than you can do in a year in the field.

  3. Skiron
    Megaphone

    I think...

    The game 'RISK' needs a 21st Century update pretty quick.

  4. This post has been deleted by its author

  5. W.S.Gosset

    "Of course you realize, this means war"

    Putin appears to have read this and fallen victim to Poe's Law.

    1. bombastic bob Silver badge
      Unhappy

      Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

      Daffy Duck had a more logical reason than Vlad the Putinator, that's for sure.

      And with this, why isn't Micros~1 PANICKING about the malware being used this way???

      (do they even CARE about end users?)

    2. JimboSmith Silver badge

      Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

      Putin doesn’t give a flying feck what people think he’s made his decision. He isn’t going to back down now as that would be seen as a sign of weakness. As I said on another story this isn’t something we should just stand on the sidelines and condemn. Actions speak louder than words (we’re not hearing from Boris until 5 or 6pm) and the West needs to get on with things.

      We should have been saying (with apologies to Sir Michael Caine)

      “You'll be making a grave error if you invade Ukraine. There are quite a few wealthy Russian in Britain, and they'll be made to suffer. Everything owned by an Oligarch every Apartment, Mansion, Business, Superyacht, Private Jet, Football Club, Bank Account, Trust, west or south of Russia will be seized.”

      We should now be doing just that.

      It appears that “Special Military Action” is the new name for another senseless war.

      1. Korev Silver badge
        Joke

        Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

        we’re not hearing from Boris until 5 or 6pm

        Well, he doesn't want to upset his party's donors...

        1. JimboSmith Silver badge

          Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

          Well, he doesn't want to upset his party's donors...

          I don’t know whether to laugh or just become more depressed with that comment. Someone just messaged me to say their grandfather who is nearly 90 is watching this unfold on tv. He described it as being the same as when he was a lad only now it’s Russia invading and being watched live.

          1. F. Frederick Skitty Silver badge

            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

            "... now it’s Russia invading ..."

            For Finland, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia this is worryingly reminiscent of Stalin's occupations and invasions. Hoping Ukraine can emulate the Finns, and inflict enough losses on Putin's forces that he has to call the invasion off. Sadly, I think the rest of the world will do too little - just as they did with Finland in 1939/40 - and the Ukrainians will be overwhelmed thanks to Russian air supremacy.

          2. Alan Brown Silver badge

            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

            Various people who grew up being taught how propaganda campaigns were used in 1930s Europe were VERY upset by slogans on big red busses in 2016

            The UK is slipping down a well trodden path. Bad days are coming and this time Moseley's blackshirts are sitting in the corridors at Downing Street

            1. Martin-73 Silver badge

              Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

              Not sure why the 2 downvotes, maybe russians*? Or maybe people don't like the truth. You're absolutely, and depressingly correct.

              For the time being, that word doesn't get capitalized

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                > Not sure why the 2 downvotes

                Because the comment makes no sense. If you *must* compare the current situation to the past then 1968 Czechoslovakia is a closer analogy than 1930s anything. But, as always, nothing is ever quite the same and trying to match current actors to historic ones is, quite simply, a mistake.

              2. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

                Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                Downvotes because it's Russian propaganda - it's part of the Kremlin whataboutery.

      2. Rich 11

        Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

        Everything owned by an Oligarch

        Setting aside the fact that most of these properties were already -- on paper at least -- owned by shell companies through a convoluted network of onshore and offshore shell companies, Boris publicly signalled two days ago that it was time for the oligarchs to add an extra layer of complexity to their holdings and to recruit more lawyers ready to gum up the works and ward off any attempt at seizure.

        Assuming there are few or no nuclear conflicts in the next few months, I think it's safe to say that the Tory hierarchy will be auctioning off many more offers to play tennis with oligarch's wives this summer. Expect the bidding to be heated.

        1. JimboSmith Silver badge

          Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

          That’s easy you just seize those assets that you know about, and freeze those that you suspect are owned. Use data from the Panama papers etc. to assist with this. Then if the actual owners of the shell companies want to come forward they can unfreeze their assets. We have a pretty good idea who owns which superyacht for example despite hidden behind shell companies and trusts in the Caribbean. I’m sure the loss of a few $500m yachts would sharpen some peoples minds. A lot of the places that these people use to hide their money and ownership of stuff are British Overseas Territories. There’s bound to be something that they want which we can offer in return for breaking the secrecy walls.

          1. JimboSmith Silver badge

            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

            British Overseas Territories include: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Turks and Caicos Islands etc. Then there’s former territories like Antigua and Barbuda and so on.

          2. Rich 11

            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

            Then if the actual owners of the shell companies want to come forward they can unfreeze their assets.

            You've missed the entire point of the shell companies. The lawyers are hired by the shell companies and paid by them, not by the oligarch. Shell companies hide true ownership. The oligarch never has to poke his head above the parapet.

        2. Alan Brown Silver badge

          Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

          "recruit more lawyers ready to gum up the works and ward off any attempt at seizure"

          There are two ways of freezing/seizing their assets - one is to prove it's theirs and then seize it, the other is to freeze it and then make the lawyers prove it isn't within X time period

          Either way will hurt them economically

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

            > There are two ways of freezing/seizing their assets - one is to prove it's theirs and then seize it, the other is to freeze it and then make the lawyers prove it isn't within X time period

            But freeze what though? If Tax Haven A has a company called "Correct Horse Battery Staple Holdings Ltd" registered, which owns a building in London, how do you know it's a dodgy Russian rather than a legitimate Saudi or home grown dodgy geezer that is the beneficial owner?

            1. JimboSmith Silver badge

              Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

              You have a trawl of the databases that have made their way into the public domain. Panama Papers is a good example of this. If it’s owned by a shell company and there isn’t an obvious owner (or it’s ‘owned’ by someone who is clearly doesn’t) you seize it and they have to prove ownership to get it back.

              1. Aitor 1

                Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                Guilty till proven innocent? I can't like that.

      3. Ian Johnston Silver badge

        Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

        Putin doesn’t give a flying feck what people think he’s made his decision. He isn’t going to back down now as that would be seen as a sign of weakness. As I said on another story this isn’t something we should just stand on the sidelines and condemn.

        We can do nothing and we will do nothing. It's the Cold War all over again: the prospect of Mutually Assured Destruction means that (a) we and they can't fight each other and therefore (b) we and they can otherwise do anything we and they want. Invade Afghanistan, invade Afghanistan, kill Muslims in Chechnya, kill Muslims in Iraq, impose non-democratic governments in Poland and Bulgaria, install undemocratic governments in Iran and Chile, and so on.

        So stand on the sidelines and condemn it is. Maybe mildly inconvenience a few Tory party funders as well.

        1. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

          Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

          Silly Putinbot with silly propaganda. Obviously Russia is not a superpower, there is no MAD on the table anymore, and NATO could wipe out the Russian military in days if it wanted.

          The depressing thing here is that NATO's leaders won't take a stand.

          1. Ian Johnston Silver badge

            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

            Silly Putinbot with silly propaganda. Obviously Russia is not a superpower, there is no MAD on the table anymore

            Putinbot? That said, Russia is estimated to have around 6.400 nuclear warheads, more than half the world's total. Sure, NATO could do nasty things to Russia's military, but not before Russia's military arranged for most of NATO to become glowing glass. MAD is still very much in play.

            And no, Russia isn't a superpower. But it's a non-superpower with a lot of bombs and a fascist dictator in charge.

            1. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

              Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

              Russia is not thought to have many working warheads left; if there are any at all, it's a handful. More to the point, they have no delivery system that can reach past Warsaw, and even that's only if they launch from Belarus and get lucky.

              "Sure, NATO could do nasty things to Russia's military, but not before Russia's military arranged for most of NATO to become glowing glass"

              You're going off message in the first part, but the last part is pure Kremlin propaganda. The simple reality is that Russia has less military power than at the end of the Cold War in Cold War era terms, and no modern military equipment whatsoever. NATO will achieve absolute air superiority in a matter of hours, and that's game over: any Russian deployments after that will be bombed out of existence as soon as they move.

              1. Ian Johnston Silver badge

                Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                Russia is not thought to have many working warheads left; if there are any at all, it's a handful. More to the point, they have no delivery system that can reach past Warsaw, and even that's only if they launch from Belarus and get lucky.

                [Citation needed]

                And let the US State department know, because they think Russia has 1458 nuclear warheads deployed on 527 ICBMs. The "I" there, by the way, stands for "Intercontinental", which is pretty much the opposite of "No further than Warsaw"

                https://www.state.gov/new-start-treaty-aggregate-numbers-of-strategic-offensive-arms/

                1. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

                  Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                  That document says what Russia claims to have, and it suits the US to accept the claim in that context.

                  If you think a Cold War ICBM and MIRVs has any chance of getting to target against modern missile defences, you haven't actually looked at the developments. Really, there is zero chance of even a single warhead making it to target by that route.

                  There is some chance of a tactical warhead making it as far as Warsaw, if launched from the Belarussian border, but that's assuming saturation with short range missiles and getting lucky. Anything that has a flight time of more than a few hundred seconds simply has no survivability.

                  1. Ian Johnston Silver badge

                    Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                    No citation, then. OK.

                    1. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

                      Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                      Antivax tactics from the Putinbot, big surprise.

                      1. Glen 1

                        Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                        Surely the antivax similarity is to *not* have the citation when asked... Like you just did.

                        1. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

                          Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                          No, it's to ask for citations for the null hypothesis and/or blindingly obvious, while making huge claims that actually require evidence and providing none.

                          1. Cliffwilliams44 Silver badge

                            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                            Believe me, Russia could easily hit London with an ICBM. This would literally make England uninhabitable! And depending on the wind, possibly Scotland, Ireland, or parts of western Europe!

                            Death by radioactive fallout is not pleasant.

                            If you seriously think they cannot hit any city on the planet you are a fool. We are talking about the country that has been running the space program for multiple nations since the US ended the shuttle program. It is only recently that US/Europe private business had been able to take over some of that.

                            Missile defense works fine against rockets fired from Gaza into Israel but ICBMs with multiple re-entry vehicles are not going to be stopped by any missile defense system any country currently has.

                          2. Glen 1

                            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                            "No, it's to ask for citations for the null hypothesis and/or blindingly obvious, while making huge claims that actually require evidence and providing none."

                            Huge claims like Russia having very few working nukes?

                            Are/were you a supporter of Brexit, perchance?

                  2. JimboSmith Silver badge

                    Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                    What modern missile defence do you mean? Are you talking about THAAD or IBCS?

                  3. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                    > Anything that has a flight time of more than a few hundred seconds simply has no survivability.

                    At what point in the flight does the surviving stop? Because if it's over Western Europe then it's the equivalent of setting off a dirty bomb.

                  4. Cliffwilliams44 Silver badge

                    Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                    Are you willing to take that risk? I am not.

                    The bomb dropped on Hiroshima was 15 Kilotons, A thermonuclear bomb detonated in the 1950's was 10,000 kilotons. There are more powerful bombs today!

                    Even a limited exchange of these weapons, at that yield would kill billions of people from the initial detonations and the subsequent radiation. It would alter the climate of the planet to the point of invoking a new radioactive ICE AGE! (but hey, we won't have to worry about global warming!) It may not end all human life on this planet but it would change life for all the survivors into a dystopian existence like nothing you can imagine.

                    Oppenheimer, the "father of the atomic bomb" said it correctly! "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

                    You children (and I mean any of you born after the 1970's) have no idea what these weapons can do!

                    What kept the peace for 70 years was that neither the US nor the Soviets were suicidal! Currently I cannot say that about either Putin or Biden!

                    We have 2 senile and mentally deficient old men running countries with vast nuclear arsenals! It is high time the sane men of the world do something about this. Hopefully, some brave sane men in Russia will do something.

              2. nagyeger
                Mushroom

                Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                More to the point, they have no delivery system that can reach past Warsaw, and even that's only if they launch from Belarus and get lucky.

                Given that they still put people on the ISS, and deliver them home again, I'd be very surprised if they don't retain the capability to downgrade/overload some orbital rockets to deliver some other packages anywhere on the planet. Not efficient but entirely capable. That was the entire point of the space-race, remember?

                A (getting people back safely) is much harder than B (one way delivery of warhead to 1km above target).

                B is has undesirable, radioactive consequences for grandma / grandkids.

                Let's all prove we can do A.

                The problem is I don't think Putin cares about grandma / grandkids any more

                1. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

                  Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                  You're forgetting the bit where there are missile defence systems. Sure, Russia can launch stuff. It won't get through. They were losing the race by the end of the Cold War, and have built _nothing_ in that line since, while the West has kept upgrading the defences.

                  A Cold War ICBM won't get through. Every one of the MIRVs will be destroyed. Zero chance of a single one even getting lucky and getting through to target.

                  1. Ian Johnston Silver badge

                    Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                    Oh, lets see what the Wiki of a Thousand Lies says about that, shall we?

                    Other elements yet to be integrated into National Missile Defense (NMD) may include anti-ballistic missiles, or sea-based, space-based, laser, and high-altitude missile systems. The NMD program is limited in scope and designed to counter a relatively small ICBM attack from a less sophisticated adversary. Unlike the earlier Strategic Defense Initiative program, it is not designed to be a robust shield against a large attack from a technically sophisticated adversary

                    But overall it may be better to decide whether to run with "Russia has no nukes" or "Russia has no way of delivering nukes" or "Russia has ICBMs but they are old and totes won't work" or "Sure, Russia can fire nukes at the US but Star Wars worked like a dream and nothing will get though".

                  2. Cliffwilliams44 Silver badge

                    Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                    You sir, are completely delusional!

                  3. Cliffwilliams44 Silver badge

                    Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                    "As of early 2022, we estimate that Russia has a stockpile of approximately 4,477 nuclear warheads assigned for use by long-range strategic launchers and shorter-range tactical nuclear forces, which is a slight decrease from last year. Of the stockpiled warheads, approximately 1,588 strategic warheads are deployed: about 812 on land-based ballistic missiles, about 576 on submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and possibly 200 at heavy bomber bases. Approximately another 977 strategic warheads are in storage, along with about 1,912 nonstrategic warheads. In addition to the military stockpile for operational forces, a large number—approximately 1,500—of retired but still largely intact warheads await dismantlement, for a total inventory of approximately 5,977 warheads.1 (See Table 1)"

                    https://thebulletin.org/premium/2022-02/nuclear-notebook-how-many-nuclear-weapons-does-russia-have-in-2022/

              3. cyberdemon Silver badge
                Mushroom

                Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                Even if they don't have any working warheads or ICBMs, (which is extremely unlikely, IMO) Who says China haven't/won't sell them any? I'm sure China are just itching to test out their latest & greatest hypersonic nuke tech.

              4. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                > NATO will achieve absolute air superiority in a matter of hours

                Air superiority won't remove the troops from the ground: that needs NATO troops. And that means an American army. And that will take 2 months to get into position to launch a counter attack.

                Rather than put NATO troops into Ukraine, a better option would be to invade Russia from Latvia. A second front would force Russia to withdraw its troops, or do the MAD thing.

                1. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

                  Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                  "Air superiority won't remove the troops from the ground"

                  I mean, no. But if they're in little bits all over the ground, mixed with the mud, that's what people normally mean by winning...

                  1. Glen 1

                    Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                    Ah, so *thats* where they were going wrong in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wonder why we never tried that rather than leaving with our tail between our legs. /s

              5. hoola Silver badge

                Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                Even one half-functioning warhead is enough to do untold damage.

          2. Alan Brown Silver badge

            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

            Perhaps, perhaps not - refer to the Budapest Memorandum

            30 years ago, Ukraine handed over all its former soviet nuclear weapons for destruction/dismantling, with assurances of security from both NATO and Russia

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapons_and_Ukraine

            "Ukraine held about one third of the Soviet nuclear arsenal, the third largest in the world at the time, as well as significant means of its design and production"

            Russia has systemically breached every part of the memorandum. This is the last domino to fall. If it is ignored then all neighbours of nuclear states will feel compelled to arm themselves to protect against invasion

          3. JimboSmith Silver badge

            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

            The four stage plan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSXIetP5iak

        2. JimboSmith Silver badge

          Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

          Yeah because Afghanistan was such a success for everyone who’s been there. What happens if Ukraine becomes the next Afghanistan for Putin?

          1. Ian Johnston Silver badge

            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

            Afghanistan wasn't a success for us either. My point is that MAD prevented us from opposing the Soviet invasion (save by creating the mujahideen and thereby, indirectly, the Taliban) and it prevented Russia from opposing our doomed invasion too.

            1. JimboSmith Silver badge

              Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

              Afghanistan wasn't a success for us either

              Yes that was my point, the last thing Vlad needs is another Afghanistan. An ongoing conflict with a country full of insurgents cannot be appealing to him. He is probably banking on a quick win and if it isn’t that easy, then what?

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                Afghanistan = extremely mountainous

                Ukraine = extremely flat

                and the Russians have tanks.

                Consider that their foreign policy since 1812 has been essentially 1000 miles of buffer to the west. They've had time to plan this one.

                1. Alan Brown Silver badge

                  Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                  "Consider that their foreign policy since 1300 has been essentially 1000 miles of buffer to the west."

                  There, fixed that for you.

                  The reason is Genghis Khan's horde and the way they rushed in unopposed over the steppes, taking over the Rus (viking) princedoms in the 1250s in a matter of weeks

              2. Ian Johnston Silver badge

                Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                Something like Chechnya, maybe?

      4. Cederic Silver badge

        Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

        We've already heard from Boris, and it's still lunchtime.

        Seizing the property of private individuals, many of whom don't even live in Russia any more, based on the actions of a Government they may not have voted for and/or which may have threatened their lives, would be illegal, immoral and downright stupid.

        Let's not do that.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

          I take it you don’t follow what happens in Russia if as an Oligarch you don’t support, hide the stolen funds of Putin. Mikhail Khodorkovsky?Those Oligarchs are the ones who might be able to make him change his mind. Them or body bags coming back from the war.

          So what’s your solution to a European sovereign nation being invaded by Russia? Roll over and play dead? I’d like to hear what you suggest.

          1. Ian Johnston Silver badge

            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

            So what’s your solution to a European sovereign nation being invaded by Russia? Roll over and play dead?

            Not our problem. Write Putin a strongly worded letter but otherwise keep out of it. We are not the world's policemen.

            1. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

              Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

              "We are not the world's policemen."

              But we should be. It's morally wrong to stand by while Putin destroys things and kills people, when we could so easily stop him. The world would be a much better place with a democratic, liberal, wealthy Russia instead of a totalitarian warmongering kleptocracy.

              1. Ian Johnston Silver badge

                Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                Care to name a single country where an externally imposed democracy has worked? How's Iraq looking these days? Or Afghanistan? Yes, it would be lovely if Russia was all warm and cuddly, but it ain't, and Mr Putin enjoys very strong popular support.

                On a related issue, how hard would it be to cut Russia off from the internet? Or if someone (China?) continued to give them access, how hard would it be to drop all packets to and from Russia?

                1. Wormy

                  Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

                  I'll do you two better.

                  1) Germany

                  2) Japan

                  3) Italy

          2. Cederic Silver badge

            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

            You won't hear my suggestions on here, because this is a tech site and not a military strategy one.

            Extra-judicial confiscation of assets is exactly what Putin would do. Forgive me for holding my own political leaders to a higher standard.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

              You won't hear my suggestions on here, because this is a tech site and not a military strategy one.

              So let’s hear a technological one then.

              Extra-judicial confiscation of assets is exactly what Putin would do. Forgive me for holding my own political leaders to a higher standard.

              Who said anything about extra judicial? We’d get judicial approval obviously, maybe pass a law or two.

        2. JimboSmith Silver badge

          Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

          Seizing the property of private individuals, many of whom don't even live in Russia any more, based on the actions of a Government they may not have voted for and/or which may have threatened their lives, would be illegal, immoral and downright stupid.

          Let's not do that.

          Okay then we’ll just ban them from Eurovision and take away the Sochi Grand Prix. That’ll teach Mr Putin not to try and annex a neighbouring country killing innocent citizens in the process.

        3. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

          "Boris... Seizing the property of private individuals..."

          And putting it in the coffers of the Tory Party.

          Still no plans to return/refuse donations, Boris?

      5. Blank Reg

        Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

        "Putin doesn’t give a flying feck what people think"

        He really does care what people think, he has an inferiority complex that drives him to do this stupid shit.

        He doesn't even allow women to wear heels around him as it just makes it obvious how short he is.

        1. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

          Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

          "He doesn't even allow women to wear heels around him as it just makes it obvious how short he is."

          Or jealous. If ever there was a closet cross-dresser...

        2. Alex Stuart

          Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

          Any evidence for him being a few inches shorter than average being responsible for invading a country, or just casual heightism?

          1. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge
            Headmaster

            Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

            well there's quite a bit of evidence of him

            " being responsible for invading a country"

            {edit}

            oh i see what you're saying .

            I saw a comma where there wasnt one )

  6. adam 40 Silver badge

    And this is why you should turn off all updates now

    If it can happen to Ukrainians, it can happen here.

    Is your business or PC guarded against legitimately signed updates delivered this way?

    1. cyberdemon Silver badge
      Windows

      Re: And this is why you should turn off all updates now

      Please let us know, how to completely disable updates in Win10 or 11 without disconnecting entirely from the internet?

      I think Windows users are basically forced to have them on at all times. Although I think it's possible to suspend them for a while. But I'm not sure if that applies to updates that describe themselves as "critical"

      We should definitely stop using Steam for a while, too.

      Any developer (especially a russian one) could be 'persuaded' to issue a dodgy update..

      1. djvrs

        Re: And this is why you should turn off all updates now

        Disable windows update service

        1. Ian Johnston Silver badge

          Re: And this is why you should turn off all updates now

          Yeah, because lots of unfixed security vulnerabilities are just what's needed.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: And this is why you should turn off all updates now

            We don't care. Our servers run Linux and FreeBSD, and our desktops are either Linux or Macs - patched as needed, but that need is considerably less so we can actually get some work done in between..

            1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

              Re: And this is why you should turn off all updates now

              On the other hand, how many FOSS developers are there in Russia? It only takes one to slip something through.

              I have no clue how likely that scenario is, but surely don't discount it out of hand. Running Linux, FreeBSD or even Mac doesn't guarantee anything. (Speaking as a FreeBSD user here)

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: And this is why you should turn off all updates now

                Running Linux, FreeBSD or even Mac doesn't guarantee anything

                I absolutely agree - you can still be exposed to a major clanger. The difference lies in the frequency that this happens, and the speed with which it is then addressed (Apple being on the slower side, but still fairly reactive if it's a biggie). Note: I am not assuming self-fixing which is possible but rarely advisable in a production environment.

                This is why Windows would never come out on top in a honest TCO study: keeping up with the relentless flow of patches and the hours lost through mid work interruptions would place it at the bottom due to the sheer labour costs. Add to that the now ubiquitous attempts at syphoning data from users where the need to prevent that adds significantly to the platform maintenance burden and I really cannot see an honest justification for the continued use of Windows on the desktop.

                1. adam 40 Silver badge

                  Re: And this is why you should turn off all updates now

                  Note in my original post I was O/S agnostic.

                  On my personal linux systems I turn off updates immediately I've done update and upgrade and loaded all the extra modules I will ever need. I could still app load most apps even 2-3 years later.

                  The way I see it, my systems are NOT part of the 'monoculture' of latest and greatest. So a hacker will have to downgrade his skriptkiddie scripts to attack, good luck with that n00bs.

          2. cyberdemon Silver badge
            Devil

            Re: And this is why you should turn off all updates now

            > Yeah, because lots of unfixed security vulnerabilities are just what's needed.

            I'd rather have unfixed security vulnerabilities on my firewalled system than be constantly pulling inscrutable updates from sources whom I do not know and therefore cannot trust. And even if I did trust, could be compromised.

            This "update immediately" mentality is the problem tbh. It makes developers too lazy to test for, and fix security vulnerabilities BEFORE they release software, and it makes users too complacent so as to simply trust whatever updates are put on their plate.

  7. sreynolds

    Surely he cometh...

    To make peace, after the war. So obviously everything was scripted for the last two months.

    Should provide some good intelligence on what to expect in future conflicts.

    1. Strahd Ivarius Silver badge

      Re: Colin Wilson 2 - Apple have got this right!

      Are you referring to Putin's video broadcasted this morning having being recorded 3 days ago?

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Mmmm....

    That's the wonder of Windows.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    (do they even CARE about end users?)

    No

  10. StrangerHereMyself Silver badge

    Shocked I am!

    Hundreds of computers wiped on a total of 20 million or so? Shocked I am!

    Let's not make this any bigger than it is. It's merely a pinprick.

  11. milliemoo83

    Of course you realize, this means war

    Where's the kaboom? There was supposed to be an Internet-shattering kaboom!

    1. JimboSmith Silver badge

      Re: Of course you realize, this means war

      Where's the kaboom? There was supposed to be an Internet-shattering kaboom!

      Sadly I think the people of Ukraine are hearing them at the moment!

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Mushroom

    SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

    Love to. How about global thermonuclear war?

    1. ITS Retired

      Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

      Yeah, global thermonuclear war will stop a lot of future conflicts. The survivors, if any, will have to learn how to use rocks and clubs again.

    2. Plest Silver badge
      Unhappy

      Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

      "MAD" will ensure there won't be much of anyone or anything of value left if it comes to that. My advice? If it starts raining nukes, just run towards it. Putin want's to be seen to give his country wings, looks we're all gonna get a pair if he has his way.

      1. Alan Brown Silver badge

        Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

        "raining nukes" is unlikely to be how it plays out in the end

        The most effective way to use a nuke isn't to drop it on a hardened target or a city

        See Starfish Prime

        Airburst - 10-20 miles up (not so high it fries all the satellites in orbit). The EMP will wipe out electrical and telecommunication grids for several hundred miles in every direction. Negligible fallout, blast or radiation damage on the ground - unfortunately anyone looking in the wrong direction at the time will need a new set of retinas

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

      Very passé.

      We have been at war with Russia ever since 1945..CND, Greens, BLM, Extinction rebellion, LBGT, the Unions, and finally every institution that was state funded is now in the hands of people who even if they do not know it are controlled from Moscow.

      The EU is a clone of the USSR minus the tanks. Putin is moving the tanks in closer.

      Russian soldiers wont even bother to self-identify as women to use female toilets. Oh dear.

      1. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

        Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

        It's funny, you're on Putin's side and you don't even realise it.

      2. Ian Johnston Silver badge

        Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

        We have been at war with Russia ever since 1945..CND, Greens, BLM, Extinction rebellion, LBGT, the Unions, and finally every institution that was state funded is now in the hands of people who even if they do not know it are controlled from Moscow.

        Have you checked under your bed, recently? Presumably "every institution that was state funded" includes British Telecom, the NHS, MI5, Scottish Power and National Express buses. Well, it would explain a lot, but if the Boogieman really wanted to cause chaos he'd be funding UKIP, Britain First and the whole Brexit project.

        1. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

          Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

          TBF, I'm OK with the idea that National Express is run by people who hate us all. It fits the facts.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

          I thought it was an open secret that Kremlin dark money has been funding the Right for years. Just follow the money for Tufton Street, Banks, Farage, GBNews etc. And even the old FN in France. Outstanding long game by Putin/Russia.

          And here we are now. Divided, hamstrung and incapable of posing any united opposition to Russian aggression. Reagan & Thatcher must be spinning in their graves tonight.

      3. JimboSmith Silver badge

        Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

        Very passé.

        We have been at war with Russia ever since 1945..CND, Greens, BLM, Extinction rebellion, LBGT, the Unions, and finally every institution that was state funded is now in the hands of people who even if they do not know it are controlled from Moscow.

        The EU is a clone of the USSR minus the tanks. Putin is moving the tanks in closer.

        Russian soldiers wont even bother to self-identify as women to use female toilets. Oh dear.

        Somebody didn’t take their dried frog pills this morning.

    4. Boris the Cockroach Silver badge
      Mushroom

      Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

      You do realise the problem with playing that game

      It trying to decide which smoking hole in the ground is the winner

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

        Was it one of the John Wyndham children's SF books that had "Sealand" (New Zealand) as the only remaining technologically advanced enclave left in the world?

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

      No WarGames fans?

      Bueller ...? Bueller ...? Bueller ...? Bueller ...?

      Ah well.

  13. planetzog

    Just paranoia

    I wouldn't trust Kaspersky to stop this threat, so I've installed another antivirus. In know, just paranoia.

    1. Potemkine! Silver badge

      Re: Just paranoia

      It doesn't seem Kaspersky trust Russia a lot.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I think that

    now would be a good time for those two doddering old farts to watch Threads.

    1. Alan Brown Silver badge

      Re: I think that

      Threads was a nice drama, but multimegaton city-killing nukes were history before the end of the 1960s

      ICBM MIRV nukes are "dial a yield" 50-150kT devices and almost always set to the low end of that range

      You're still going to have a very bad day if one goes off near you but the terror factor of the things was hyped up by a number of organisations/governments for various reasons

      (Neutron bombs aren't anti-personnel weapons either. They're anti-weapon devices intended to airburst in front of incoming ICBMs and denature the fissiles, just like the old AIM1 "Genie" air-to-air nuclear missle was intended to work on incoming bombers - they lost their original purpose when the antiballistic missile treaty was signed and defending the Fulda Gap was proposed as an alternative use)

      1. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

        Re: I think that

        "almost always set to the low end of that range"

        ?

        I was under the impression that the reverse is true, because low-end dial-a-yield gives much, much dirtier explosions, and, well, it's a continent away, why wouldn't you use full power?

  15. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge

    And yet

    There are plenty of openly hostile networks in the world. They have completely fake registration data, they operate systems that seem to have no purpose but to be infected with malware, and they run brute-force attacks 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, year after year. Some can argue that these are not the exact point from where an attack is deployed but you better believe that they gathered the targets.

    Yet Cogent, AT&T, Level 3, Telia, NTT, GTT and all the others have no problem peering with these networks. This needs to stop.

    https://www.abuseipdb.com/statistics <-- almost always the same networks in the top 10. Russia has recently stepped up their game and knocked scum-host Frantech out of the list, but that one's still going at it too.

  16. Binraider Silver badge

    Meanwhile, propaganda merchants rent space behind anonymous proxy website owners to spam feeds with misinformation. The ostrich with head in the sand has quite literally been replaced by gullible fools that think some link to a video hosted on Parler is for real.

    Ia! Ia! Cthulhu ftaghn!

    1. Alan Brown Silver badge

      You don't even need Parler. Russian-produced propaganda videos are extremely crude and badly cut/dubbed, but older russians are taking them at face value because they don't know any better

      1. Dave314159ggggdffsdds Silver badge

        "older russians are taking them at face value because they don't know any better"

        That is a rather ludicrous contention. Who, if not older Russians, knows about state propaganda being a dubious source?

        Anyone who believes Kremlin propaganda does so because they want to believe. Older Russians want what Putin says to be true, even while they know deep down that it isn't.

        1. adam 40 Silver badge

          Agreed,

          the older ones would have been reading "Pravda" on the public billboard with an ENORMOUS pinch of salt, looking for the nuance that might hint that Brezhnev was on the way out, in between all the grain harvest forecasts from Ukraine.

          I don't think a scratchy video would fool them one iota.

  17. Danny 2

    Denazify the Kremlin

    I argued here against Iran being thrown off SWIFT. I think Russia should be but it will have far less effect now because they learned from the Iran ban. SWIFT is an independent organisation based in Belgium, not London and NY as reported elsewhere, so the Iran ban was only possible when the US threatened to issue international arrest warrants for the senior staff/founders.

    Every possible pressure should be brought on Putin swiftly, which means full sporting and cultural sanctions as well as financial sanctions. He is not fit to control more than half the worlds nukes,and our best hope is a palace coup.

    Anyone who downvotes this post will face consequences they have never seen.

    1. Solviva

      Re: Denazify the Kremlin

      Pah SWIFT? It's all about the NFTs these days innit!

      Original picture of Pres P riding shirtless on a horse into U̶k̶r̶a̶i̶n̶e̶ New Rossiya - you can own it* for just 1 meeeeelion dollars.

      *Well you can show you're a fool with a permanent record of your foolishness locked away in 'the' (which?) blockchain forevermore.

  18. William Higinbotham

    I have my copy

    Our nephew found a book our father had "You Can Survive The Bomb" By Col. Mel Mawrence, Copyright 1961. I am reading it now:-) Also there is this updated version www.ready dot gov/nuclear-explosion

    1. Danny 2

      Re: I have my copy

      The Nuclear Survival Handbook: Living Through and After a Nuclear Attack Paperback – 1 Jan. 1980,

      I'm surprised you can still buy this online, it was a pre-prepper prepper bible with a lot of good knowledge but scary stuff too. Teenage Danny memorised the home-made napalm recipe, although to my credit I never used it. (Step1: Melt the polystyrene into the petrol...)

      For Brits: What's the difference between a £1 bottle of Morrison's Ghost Chili and pepper spray? A water pistol.

      For The Ukrainians, learn from the Finns. When bombing a park of military trucks then only light to sixth Molotov cocktail. Build up a decent puddle first.

      I no longer wish to survive a nuclear war, at best I hope to survive until a nuclear war.

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

      2. adam 40 Silver badge

        Reminds me to book a restaurant table

        ... at my local Chinese.

        Duck and 4 covers.

        Boom Boom! (at the risk of being inappropriate).

  19. W.S.Gosset

    China: rather concerning move yesterday

    The same day Russia declared war on and invaded Ukraine, China suddenly made a big song&dance about "forgiving" Australia and really we're open & friendly and let's talk and meet in the middle and it's all just been some silly little misunderstanding etc etc

    Every major (successful) invasion China has made for many many centuries has relied on Distraction.

    And their elites/parasites work in startlingly simplistic theatrical ways -- so simplistic that Westerners think there's much more to it than there is. There isn't.

    So on seeing this batshit insane 180º flip by China after > half a decade of increasingly rabid attackdog, my immediate thought was: shit. They're shaping up for something. And soon.

    Australia's out -- too far away from their forces' current dispositions, for now, and is not really a territory objective for China. But it IS a highish-profile problem very well known to all Western foreign-offices, so will be alerted to all of them, so a (minor) distraction. So...

    Taiwan. Already a well-discussed-for-weeks-now high probability of opportunistic attack while USA's forces are split/distracted by Russia+Ukraine.

    But I wonder if it could have just become a lot more certain?

  20. notalot

    No Action

    Re-run of 1938 invasion of Czechoslovakia by Hitler's Germany.

    UK and USA make gestures Russia makes for War with a constant military build up.

    Russia unleashes overwhelming attack. Ukraine fight valiantly. UK and USA say we will not play with Russia anymore.

    Where was the UK and USA offer of air support? Where is it now? Why are we paying for Carrier Strike groups and Submarine launched Cruise missiles?

    Ah well not Poland next but Taiwan in the Putin - Xi two step.

    1. Glen 1

      Re: No Action

      The difference is, as with the events you refer to, we have a treaty with Poland.

      Hell, the RAF is currently patrolling Polish airspace as a part of the treaty.

      Youtube link of News report

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like