Poo On My Shoe
Yesterday was a pretty crappy day. Literally. Gracie woke me up at 7am to go outside and I stepped in poo. Not just poo on my flipflop. Poo on my heel. Ewwww.
After sleeping some more (and cleaning my foot), I started playing around with my new SBC/Yahoo! DSL connection (yay!), and realized that their software had completely taken over my computer (boo!). My default browser was turned into a very special, very annoying Yahoo! browser. In IE, I could not open links in new windows. The Add/Remove Programs menu was totally messed up, not letting me remove anything. I could not drag and drop anything. Two hours of uninstalling everything but one program (left on EnterNet 300 so I can log on to their system), and my system was back to the way I wanted it.
During all that mess, the happy Blaster Worm wiggled its way in. Luckily, it seems to not have done much damage, only slowing down resources while I was gone at work. I found the culprit msblast.exe file, stopped its processes, deleted it from the drive and registry, and downloaded the patch. I am also now running ZoneAlarm firewall software to prevent it from getting back in or out.
The cherry on the top of my crappy day was my car battery dying. I have to give it to my car: it doesn’t let that battery die until it has nothing more left to give. I was running errands during a surprising three-hour dinner break (the T-1s were being hooked up in our new office and no one could be logged on). After making my final stop, I get in the car, turn the key in the ignition, and nothing happens but a faint ticking. I call my dad, who verifies that it is likely a dead battery, and he would help, but he’s 800 miles away. So, I call Ruaraidh, my auto-savvy hero, who comes and rescues me with a jump to the car. I make it back to work, where I have to get another jump to make it home. So, on tap this morning is the purchase of a new battery. Good times.
All said, it didn’t really feel like a bad day. No heavy weight on my shoulders, no sullen mood. Just a bunch of crap kept getting shovelled my way.
You called your dead, eh?
Are you sure it’s the battery or the alternator? When my alternator went, it drained the battery. The battery would then take a jump (if I was lucky) but then drain again. If it is the alternator, make sure they plug the new one in after they replace it. That’s fun times when they don’t.
Dad! I called my dad!
It’s the battery. Dead as a doornail.
If a day is that bad, I typically just declare it a National Bad Day. So, you had a National Bad Day.
I assume you’ve bought a new battery by now. If not, I could get you a good deal. I work for Interstate Batteries, and I can get one at cost…
Of course, having it -now- is worth something, and it’d take a couple days for me to get one. Ahem.
Drat, that would have been handy information! I have myself a shiny new $70 Diehard now. Of course, it is fitting that the most expensive battery would be the only one they had in stock for me.
Well done for sorting out the Windows system affected by the Blaster Worm, but if your system has caught Blaster, then it’s also been vulnerable to a whole feast of other DCOM RPC exploits. You _could_ have other nasties on your system that aren’t so easy to find nor as predictable as Blaster.
Seriously, best working practice suggests formatting the system and building it from the ground up.
Sorry.
Well, before yesterday, the DSL had a firewall in front of it (previous provider). It was just the time when I was installing the new software where it was open. It probably is time to visit the Windows Update fairy, though.
I blame mars.
Glad you’re back.
hmmm…too bad you didnt get hit by this one first. might have saved you some time.