Sometimes the right things go wrong:
The [Blaster virus] infection caused computers to reboot frequently or disrupted users' browsing on the internet. But it also packed a second punch.Computer experts said starting at 12:01 a.m. US time Saturday, infected computers that have not cleaned up the virus would in effect turn into a legion of zombies instructed to repeatedly call up a Microsoft website that houses the software patch. If enough traffic flooded the network, the site could be rendered unreachable and computer users would be unable to access the patch.
But the exploiters of the Microsoft flaw made a mistake themselves. The worm instructed computers to call up http://windowsupdate.com - which is an incorrect address for reaching the actual Microsoft website that houses the software patch. Although Microsoft has long redirected those who visited that incorrect address to the real site - http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com - the company disabled the automatic redirection last Thursday in preparation for the onslaught of infected computers.
Hear the hoofbeats of the Dumb Mistake Cavalry as it rides to the rescue? Remember, Glenn, tomorrow's cybersociopaths with error-extirpation subroutines buried in their skulls won't make these kinds of blunders (though I suppose you might argue that a copy editor would achieve the same thing). Still, caveat emptor, I say.
I'll write on the topic at relative length within the week, if all goes well.