US-CERT: Microsoft's advice on Downadup is flawed
Microsoft's advice on disabling Windows' "Autorun" feature is flawed, the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) said Wednesday, and leaves users who rely on its guidelines to protect their PCs against the fast-spreading Downadup worm open to attack.
In an alert issued Monday , US-CERT said Microsoft's instructions on turning off Autorun are "not fully effective" and "could be considered a vulnerability."
The flaw in Microsoft's guidelines are important at the moment, because the "Downadup" worm, which has compromised more computers than any other attack in years, can spread through USB devices, such as flash drives and cameras, by taking advantage of Windows' "Autorun" and "Autoplay" features.
