April Fools Day Worm Coming!
by Frank Jovine on 03/26/2009 in Security, Virus Threats
Now in its third variant, Conflicker C, the worm has grown incredibly complicated, powerful, and unfortunately no one knows when exactly this worm will show its face.
This new variant is due to release a wrath of pain amongst many computer users. The first version of this worm, also known as the Downadup (A), first made its way on the internet and into more than 9 million computers world wide, back in January 2009.
What does the Conflicker worm do?
According to Symantec (Norton Antivirus) – the Downadup worm mostly spreads across networks. If it finds a vulnerable computer, it turns off the automatic backup service, deletes previous restore points, disables many security services, blocks access to a number of security web sites and opens infected machines to receive additional programs from the malware’s creator. The worm then tries to spread itself to other computers on the same network.
Who is at risk?
Users with computers that are not configured to receive patches and updates from Microsoft and who are not running an up to date antivirus product.
What to do if you are infected
- Use your Norton product to identify which variant of the worm is on your computer.
- Follow the detailed removal instructions for the specific version of the worm below.
W32.Downadup.A writeup
W32.Downadup.B writeup
W32.Downadup.C writeup
How to Stay Safe
- Run a sound and trusted security suit
- Make sure your computer has the latest patches (You should have this set automatically)
- Avoid using security scans from unknown websites
- Turn off autorun feature that automatically launches programs
- Change your passwords every 3 months and mix it up with numbers and characters and it should be at least 7 characters long
April Fools Day is around the corner, start preparing today!
Topics about Technology » April Fools Day Worm Coming!
Mar 26th, 2009
[...] TechJaws: Tech News, Internet Tools and SEO added an interesting post on April Fools Day Worm Coming!Here’s a small excerptNow in its third variant, Conflicker C, the worm has grown incredibly complicated, powerful, and unfortunately no one knows when exactly this worm will show its face. This new variant is due to release a wrath of pain amongst many computer users. The first version of this worm, also known as the Downadup (A), first made its way on the internet and into more than 9 million computers world wide, back in January 2009. What does the Conflicker worm do ? According to Symantec (Norton Antivir [...]
Steve Logsdon
Mar 31st, 2009
To Whom It May Concern:
“Conflicker”[sic]? Don’t you mean “conficker”? Really, guys, such a glaring misspelling of this term hardly inspires confidence in your credibility, authoritativeness and erudition regarding things PC. C’mon, you can do better than that. A little attention to detail, if you please. Until you become a bit more assiduous, I surely don’t want you writing any computer code for me.
Constructively, Steve Logsdon
Frank J
Mar 31st, 2009
Steve,
It’s spelled correctly. Visit http://networkworld.com/news/2009/012309-downadup-conflicker-worm.html? and many other media sites that spell it correctly.
Frank J
Mar 31st, 2009
Steve,
You are correct the spelling is Conficker, and it’s funny how many other reputable sites add the “L”. I have updated all posts pertaining to Conficker along with changing the tags to the correct spelling.
Thank you
April Fool’s day attack is no joke | Computer Security
Apr 15th, 2009
[...] have been sounding the alarm of the impending April Fool’s day Conficker C attack. Frank J at TechJaws, Colin at Free PC Security and Corrine at Security Garden all have detailed information on the [...]