Here is a nice little article concerning a vulnerability for laptops operating with Microsoft operating systems (as if there are all that many laptops not using windows). However the news is not bleak, and for those of you that know me personally, I've been talking about the countermeasures for a long time anyway. But here's the problem...
I don't know why everyone with a wireless enabled laptop doesn't have a firewall or routinely disable the wireless antenna. These two simple countermeasures are useful for other important reasons. First, disabling the antenna will help conserve battery life. Oh, you say you're plugged in so battery life isn't an issue. So what! Why would you have the antenna turned on if you don't need to? It's sort of like leaving a door open to your house - why do it if you really don't need to. And the firewall is like a screen door on the house. It lets you know when people are trying to get in and lets the legitimate "air" through. It's not foolproof but it's a very nice tool. Firewalls now have gotten more user friendly and are pretty lightweight in terms of consuming system resources. Granted with the antenna turned off you really don't need an active firewall, but it's not that big a deal to leave it up.
The author of the article notes that his firewall had to be disabled for the vulnerability to be properly exploited. So keep the firewall up and pay attention to any notifications that the firewall might provide for attempts at accessing your system. So just turn off the antenna if you don't need it and use a firewall. There's one bundled with the Microsoft operating system and there are free applications available on the web. You may not need a "big honkin'" firewall, just one that restricts access effectively.
Rob
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