Sasser 'not our fault' says Microsoft

The UK coastguard service lost the use of its computers and database-driven services for several hours after being hit by the Sasser virus - despite the fact a patch has been available for two weeks and further warnings from Microsoft were sent out last week.

As such the software giant says it is not to blame for this latest exploit of a vulnerability in its operating systems.

Coastguards were forced to revert to paper filing systems, telephones and other low-tech methods to keep the service going through the outage, though a statement from the Marine and Coastguard Agency said the virus wouldn't hinder the service's effectiveness as coastguards train for all eventualities, including loss of critical systems.

However, the Agency failed to return a call from silicon.com asking why a government-run public service, dealing with life or death rescues, had failed to apply a patch which had been available for two weeks on the Microsoft website.

The worm attacks vulnerabilities in Windows XP and 2000 operating systems. But Stuart Okin, UK security chief at Microsoft, said his company is not to blame even though it will doubtless be a target of criticism.

"This is the fault of the criminal who launched the attack," said Okin. "The blame lies squarely at the door of that individual."

However, he reminded those who would be quick to point the finger at Microsoft that the patch was available two weeks ago. "If users had applied the patch then they wouldn't be affected," he said.

"There are three simple steps users can take to ensure they survive such attacks," added Okin. "They can keep up with security updates, ensure they have anti-virus and the latest signature files and they have their firewall enabled. If users had done that they wouldn't have been infected by this virus."

The team behind the Netsky worm has already claimed responsibility for Sasser.