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SasserHoly card for d-sasser, generated with AI (Claude, Anthropic) for the Lunario dei Frati Patchatori.CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 445 Sasser SINE CLICK INTRAVIT
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Circle I · Worms

The Demon Sasser, Who Came Uninvited

Legend

Between April and May 2004 a worm exploited a buffer overflow in the Windows LSASS service and spread by itself, without anyone having to click anything. It crashed and rebooted machines around the world, halting airline desks, hospitals and news agencies. Its author was a German teenager, who had also written Netsky variants and was convicted in 2005.

Exorcism

Cast it out by patching early (MS04-011). Block the SMB and LSASS ports, TCP 445 and 139, from every untrusted network, and keep the host firewall on: a worm that never asks permission must be stopped before the door.

Technical record

Also known as
W32.Sasser
Circle
Circle I · Worms
First seen
2004
Status
Dormant
Weapons (exploited CVEs)
Saint LSASS (Sasser)
Works
The Scourge of Sasser

A self-propagating worm released in April-May 2004 that exploited a buffer overflow in the Windows LSASS service, requiring no user interaction. It crashed and rebooted machines worldwide, disrupting airlines, hospitals and news agencies. Its author, a German teenager, also wrote Netsky variants and was convicted in 2005.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · nvd.nist.gov

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