InfoWorld just posted a story about a detailed analysis of the recent SQL Slammer. Slammer represented a significant milestone in the evolution of worms and was by far the fastest spreading worm yet seen. This particular study was conducted by a whole slew of IT Bigwigs.<br /><br />They were able to analyze the first three minutes of the worm's spread. During that time, the number of infected machines doubled roughly every 8.5 seconds. Yes, you read that right. DOUBLED every 8.5 seconds. That is an awesome speed, and about 250 times faster than Code Red, which hit in mid-2001 and had a doubling time of 37 minutes. And what was the result of this fast spread? Within 10 minutes of the start of the attack, the majority of the estimated 75,000 machines that were hit had been infected. OUCH. That means the next 'slammer' could be worse. You really need a solution to manage and verify patches. Repeat after me: Security Is Not A Product, It Is A Process. (products only help to keep the process in place). Here is an in depth analysis:<br />http://www.w2knews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=030210RN-Slammer