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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Microsoft Fights Off Hacker Attack That Cracks Its Windows

Michael White Associated Press

Microsoft peddled a quick fix Wednesday to a software weakness that apparently allowed hackers to shut down computers from coast to coast, mostly in government and university offices.

The attack shut down thousands of computers with Windows NT systems Monday. It was followed by smaller assaults Tuesday and Wednesday.

Windows NT is a popular operating system for larger computers and networks. The attacks caused computers to crash, but there were no reports of any computer information being lost or stolen.

“It’s not the typical hacker penetration where they get into the machine and access or corrupt online data. They just sort of lob this bombshell that sort of kills it,” said Ron Broersma, a computer security expert at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego. Broersma estimated that hundreds and maybe thousands of Navy desktops crashed Monday night. The Microsoft remedy was applied in time to avert a second attack Wednesday morning, he said.

Microsoft downplayed speculation by some victims that the attack was related to chairman Bill Gates’ appearance Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee on charges that the company uses monopolistic strategies to squelch competition.

“All the major operating systems are attacked from time to time over the course of the year,” said Ed Muth, Microsoft’s security manager.

The attack preys on Windows NT by sending a barrage of invalid data to computers. The computer devotes more and more memory and processing power to the invalid data until it crashes, said Craig Huckabee, research associate at the University of Wisconsin’s computer lab, where more than 160 computers were hit.