IBM Admits It Sent Malware-infected USB Sticks To Customers (techrepublic.com) 50
IBM accidentally shipped USB drives infected with malware to some customers, the company noted in a support advisory post. The drives contained an initialization tool for some of its Storwize systems, the post stated. From a report: IBM customers who received a USB flash drive with the part number 01AC585 should either destroy the drive so that it cannot be reused, the post said, or follow the steps listed in the post to repair the drive. Affected drives were shipped with the following Storwize systems: IBM Storwize V3500 - 2071 models 02A and 10A, IBM Storwize V3700 - 2072 models 12C, 24C, and 2DC, IBM Storwize V5000 - 2077 models 12C and 24C, IBM Storwize V5000 - 2078 models 12C and 24C.
Storwize? (Score:5, Funny)
Is it just me or does that sound like a malware name anyway?
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Is it just me or does that sound like a malware name anyway?
Big jar of yellow liquid...
Re: (Score:1)
> wtfamireading.jpg
*wtfamimasturbatingto.gif
Call this number... (Score:3)
If you need help, call 1-800-IBM-HELP.
Note: You must be 21 years old or older to use phone number.
Re:Call this number... (Score:4, Insightful)
Do people under 21 even know what a phone number is?
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Call this number... (Score:5, Funny)
Oh, you mean their SMS ID.
Anyone under 40.. (Score:2)
Does anyone under 40 know what SMS is?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Another coherent and on-point reply from creimer.
Thank you!
calls cost $2.99 first minute and $1.50 each (Score:2)
calls cost $2.99 first minute and $1.50 each additional minute. Even if you are on hold or get an busy signal
Re: (Score:2)
Actually, no. You get a phone tree if you call. If you have a support contract, you are not charged (I get frequent calls from the IBM national support manager when something calls home).
No support contract, last I heard around 2001, it was provide a credit card number and $500 an hour.
Try it if you don't believe me.
Re: (Score:2)
Having called that number since the 1970s, you do not have to be 21. Just have to figure out weird accents.
Re: (Score:2)
That still works?
I discovered that during a 2 yr contract job with IBM Global Services more than 10 years ago
Re: (Score:2)
That still works?
No clue.
I discovered that during a 2 yr contract job with IBM Global Services more than 10 years ago
That was the inside joke when I worked the IBM Help Desk in 2005.
Re: (Score:2)
Wrong thread?
Re: (Score:2)
Is that some form of bigotry?
Re: (Score:2)
Then good news, flash drives usually have fat32 filesystems.
But if you plug it into the wrong thread, you're probably p0wned and should destroy the device.
Sure... (Score:5, Funny)
the only accident here is they got caught
Re: (Score:2)
You're suggesting that they did this intentionally?
Certainly not. IBM may be "big evil corporate company" ... but they're not *that* stupid. That said ... they can make mistakes.
Watson did it! (Score:1)
so that's why Jeff Smith got fired (Score:2)
Finally !!! (Score:4, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:3)
Re: (Score:1)
3. Food company saying that some drinks might contain a rare disease which they have created in-house. Seriously?
Are you suggesting that IBM created the Reconyc Trojan that's been circulating in the wild for half a decade? Or are you just demonstrating that you didn't bother reading the article before making blatantly false accusations?
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
>why were they dealing with malware in the products to be sold?
Probably the same reason anyone else deals with it anywhere - they got infected without noticing it right away. And then they created an image to be distributed on new drives (since it seems that pre-installed junkware has become a requirement on flash drives these days) and started production and shipping without first performing a thorough malware scan of the image.
A depressingly common scenario, but not terribly unexpected considering tha
Re: (Score:2)
Re: They were very brave (Score:1)
Brave my ass. They were called out.
This isn't even the first time. They handed out infected USB drives at a damn security convention in 2013.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
A valiant and generous position. Also rather naive when you're talking about corporations.
Re: (Score:2)
I didn't mean to suggest that the end products were individually infected - rather that the person creating the image that would be copied onto all the end products was infected, and proceeded to accidentally infect the "master copy". Or alternately, the master copy might have been infected at any point between the original creation and final deployment.
I agree it seems considerably worse than standard negligence - nobody much cares if your desktop gets infected, just a nuisance for the IT department to cl
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
If you ever eat food sold by a company, you should probably become aware of the existence of recalls and what the dangers of eating recalled food might be.
Re: (Score:2)
3rd party factory in china likely had the image lo (Score:3, Interesting)
3rd party factory in china likely had the image loading system that had an malware infection on it.
Big deal (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
At least this wasn't at a security conference, like the last time IBM pawned off malware thumb drives:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/firewall/2010/05/21/ibm-distributes-malware-infected-usb-sticks-at-security-conference/#5ba3ec78250d
Seriously though, they need to get their vendors looked at or simply distribute online only.
border (Score:1)
I suggest carrying that USB when traveling.
When TSA agents hassle you to surrender your data, give them this USB and insist that the look into what's inside.
Re: (Score:2)
If you insist to em to look, they will not because they will suspect.
Now if you insist to NOT look, like "it's just family pictures" etc.. then they will freaking look it.