User Login

Help Community Login:

Conficker...D-day tomorrow (April 1st)

5 replies [Last post]
Smartmom's picture
From:
Wellington Florida
Smartmom
Banned Member (Way To Go!)
Relationship Status:
Married
Joined: 01/15/2009
Posts: 6389
Drops: -24
Mood: Giggly

Well I wish I could say this is a April fools joke but its not.....it's real. There was a thread on it earlier Conficker = Bad Joke? Or Big Trouble? here on GD.

So what is Conficker and how do you protect yourself against it?

For those of you that may be worried about your home computer, there are a few things to consider:

On April 1st the Conficker worm will simply start taking more steps to protect itself.

· For machines already infected, the worm will attempt to update itself over the internet

· Machines infected with the "C” variant of the worm may not be able to get security updates or patches from Microsoft and from many other vendors.

· Creators of the worm will most certainly start using a communications system that is more difficult for security researchers to interrupt.

How Do I know I have it?

The best way to know if you are infected is to run a good antivirus product. Other than, you will have to pay attention to symptoms. They may include:

· Finding that your computer is blocked from accessing the web sites of most security companies.

· Account lockout policies being reset automatically.

· Certain Microsoft Windows services such as Automatic Updates, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Windows Defender and Error Reporting Services disabled.

· System becomes very sluggish.

· Websites related to antivirus software becoming inaccessible.[

What does the Conficker worm do?

No one really knows the purpose of the Conficker worm. The worm has created an infrastructure capable of remotely installing software on infected machines. Most likely the worm will be used to create a botnet that will be rented out for sending SPAM, stealing IDs and directing users to online scams and phishing sites.

The Conficker 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 (Symantec or McAffee for example)

· opens infected machines to receive additional programs from the MalwareMalwarebytes Anti-virus / Anti-malware's creator

· worm tries to spread itself to other computers on the same network.

How does the worm infect a computer?

The worm tries to take advantage of a problem with Windows (a vulnerability) called MS08-067 to quietly install itself. Users who automatically receive updates from Microsoft are already protected from this. The worm also tries to spread by copying itself into shared folders on networks and by infecting USB devices such as memory sticks.

Who is at risk?

Users whose computers are not configured to receive patches and updates from Microsoft and who are not running an up to date anti-virus product are most at risk. Users who do not have a genuine version of Windows from Microsoft are most at risk since pirated systems usually cannot get Microsoft updates and patches.

Bottom Line:

· Make sure your Windows Operating System has been updated with the latest security patches

· If you have anti-virus software, make sure it is also up to date with the latest definitions

· For those you without a good anti-virus program, there is an excellent free program from http://www.Avast!.com

.

They have already updated for this worm.

I Averaged: 0 | 0 votes

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
Phoenix_Oasis's picture
From:
Somewhere between fantasy and reality...
Phoenix_Oasis
Banned Member (Way To Go!)
Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 811
Drops: 991
Mood: Mellow
Re: Conficker...D-day tomorrow (April 1st)
I'm definetely going to down load that program right when go home...even though I have AVG, I can never be to careful.
I'm so hot, I sometimes spontaneously combust.
Smartmom's picture
From:
Wellington Florida
Smartmom
Banned Member (Way To Go!)
Relationship Status:
Married
Joined: 01/15/2009
Posts: 6389
Drops: -24
Mood: Giggly
Re: Conficker...D-day tomorrow (April 1st)

Well you can't run two antivirus programs at once. If you run two it will cause your firewalls to conflict and basically lock you up - its not good. AVG should be more than fine just make sure that its up to date.

I got that info above in a email from a dear friend Ray - it came from his IT department at work so he forwarded it on to friends. I thought it was really good and well written <so thanks Ray...and Bob his IT guy>

Phoenix_Oasis's picture
From:
Somewhere between fantasy and reality...
Phoenix_Oasis
Banned Member (Way To Go!)
Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 811
Drops: 991
Mood: Mellow
Re: Conficker...D-day tomorrow (April 1st)

Oh wow, I never knew that. Maybe that's why the computer at my job runs so slow and horrible. For some reason they have both TrendMicro and Norton. I can't do much about it since it's not my person computer.

I'm so hot, I sometimes spontaneously combust.
missb's picture
missb
Banned Member (Way To Go!)
Relationship Status:
Single & Not Looking
Joined: 01/16/2009
Posts: 3109
Drops: 3812
Mood: Weird
Re: Conficker D-day Arrives

"The Conficker worm today has begun to phone home for instructions but has done little else. Conficker was programmed to today begin actively visiting 500 out of 50,000 randomly generated web addresses to receive new instructions on how to behave. Conficker has begun to do this, according to security company F-Secure, but so far no doomsday scenarios have emerged"

Read the article here

missb's picture
missb
Banned Member (Way To Go!)
Relationship Status:
Single & Not Looking
Joined: 01/16/2009
Posts: 3109
Drops: 3812
Mood: Weird
Re: Conficker...Are you infected?

"A common tactic used by MalwareMalwarebytes Anti-virus / Anti-malware is to block the infected computer from connecting to the Web sites of antivirus and security companies. Such blocks are meant to prevent you and your antivirus program from getting help in removing the infection.

The Conficker worm and many other types of MalwareMalwarebytes Anti-virus / Anti-malware take this step, and one good thing that came out of all the hype and drama surrounding last week's April 1 doomsday for Conficker was this little gem from the Conficker Working Group, an industry coalition formed to fight the worm.

The group's "Conficker Eye Chart" pulls images from three sites that Conficker is known to block and displays them in a box. Below the box is a guide to interpreting how you see the images -- if they all show up you're in good shape, but if one or more doesn't display it could indicate a Conficker (or other MalwareMalwarebytes Anti-virus / Anti-malware) infection."

Check out this quick easy way to tell if you have the Conficker worm or not!!

Who's New

metaclippingpath's picture
Generalocee's picture
emma agro's picture
DarkkDdream's picture
Larisabrownb's picture
conor13's picture
MeadeDorianx's picture
Emilylowes's picture
Emmaythomson's picture
Chair's picture
Financial's picture
Red bud's picture
DonnaStella123's picture
WenrichFeugene's picture
Weissert's picture
facebook codes exploits tips tricks Phrozen Crew
All contents ©Copyright GeekDrop™ 2009-2024
TOS | Privacy Policy