When I first read this…

Hackers have published code that could let an attacker disable the Windows Firewall on certain Windows XP machines.

The code, which was posted on the Internet early Sunday morning, could be used to disable the Windows Firewall on a fully patched Windows XP PC that was running Windows' Internet Connection Service (ICS). This service allows Windows users to essentially turn their PC into a router and share their Internet connection with other computers on the local area network (LAN.) It is typically used by home and small-business users.

I thought, "Wow, this could be a big deal…" Then, as I kept reading…

By knocking off the Windows Firewall, a criminal could open the door to new types of attacks, but there are a number of factors that make such an attack scenario unlikely, Reguly said.

For example, the attacker would have to be within the LAN in order to make the attack work, and, of course, it would only work on systems using ICS, which is disabled by default. Furthermore, the attack would have no effect on any third-party firewall being used by the PC, Reguly said.

I thought, "Wow, big deal…"

The attacker has to be INSIDE the LAN, the victim must be using ICS, and third-party firewalls are not affected.

So, in reality, this applies to how many people?

Interesting…

FYI:

Health officials say a salmonella outbreak potentially linked to produce has sickened at least 172 people in 18 states.

Officials with the C-D-C in Atlanta think the bacteria may have spread through some form of produce. The list of suspects includes tomatoes. But the illnesses have not been tied to any specific product, chain, restaurants or supermarkets.

…

Dr. Chris Braden of the C-D-C says most of the cases are in adults, and more than 60 percent are women. Other than Georgia, the states involved are Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont and Wisconsin.

[Source: CBS46]

House Speaker Dennis Hastert is expected by many Republicans to step aside as the GOP's leader if Democrats win big in next week's election. He may be on his way out even if the GOP emerges with a narrow majority.

The No. 2 House Republican, Majority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, is looking very much like a candidate to fill Hastert's shoes even though some Republicans appear to be agitating for fresh faces all around, win or lose.

There's lots of grumbling among Republican insiders over real and imagined leadership lapses. Not the least of those is the way Hastert's office handled � mishandled, some critics say � the Mark Foley page scandal.

I think Dennis Hastert should have stepped down as Speaker a long time ago. He has done nothing and I mean nothing remarkable as Speaker of the House, unless of course you count burying your head in the sand as a remarkable feat.

Whether the Democrats take control (which I don't think they will) or not, it's time for a fresh start, and removing Hastert as Speaker should be the first item on the agenda.

Last night, my wife and I were talking about the political ads being run by the gubernatorial candidates. You can't help but notice that every one of Mark Taylor's ads are nothing but blatant attacks on Sonny Perdue's character, yet Sonny's ads actually remind the viewer how well he has done in office. I am an independent conservative, my wife, a lifelong staunch Democrat. We both despise Mark Taylor.

But if that wasn't enough…

If my wife and Zell Miller, both lifelong Democrats, support Sonny Perdue, shouldn't everybody?

Comments will be on or off, depending on the severity of the attacks coming from some dolts in Turkey who have a fetish with my site.