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Update with Symantec, Microsoft, F-Secure & Webroot input.
Dec. 20, 2009- Microsoft- Privacy portal.
Nov. 12, 2009- Microsoft- How to protect and remove Conficker?
Sept. 3, 2009- Clean up continues for British Council and othersl £1-million-cost-for-council-after-conficker-infection
July 26, 2009- Do I already have conflicker? Use this neutral "Conficker Eye Chart". It pulls images from three sites that Conficker is known to block and displays them in a box. If all six pictures do not show up look to the box below the for an explanation. It can mean a Conficker (or other malware) infection.
Symantec is now warning that Twitter is now a target for variety of worms, especially if you are not running any antivirus/antispam software. A twitter message arrives claiming your friends are inviting you to join them and to check the attachment - which is a ZIP file containing the Ackantta worm.
July 9, 2009- Most Internet Security software providers are indicating that conficker is constantly updating. Make sure your virus definitions are up to date and your Internet Security software has conficker protection built-in. If your computer has been off for a day or so, you may have missed an update even if set on on automatic for Windows and your browser & email accounts. As soon as your fire up your system, go in to the application and manually do the updates.
July 6, 2009- Microsoft has released Security Advisory 972890 (one of nine) to alert users about a vulnerability in Microsoft Video ActiveX Control. Exploitation of this vulnerability may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code. The advisory also indicates that Microsoft is aware of attacks attempting to exploit the vulnerability. Make sure your operating system and browsers have the latest updates.
There has been a lot of news about the Conficker Worm and Symantec is on the front lines in protecting internet user’s private information from this malicious software. Since the threat is not over, due diligence is needed to cleanse your systems see- US- Cert. for helpful instructions on eliminating Conficker- type worms from your PC, network & gateway.
Manual Method for Conficker registry key removal. Only if you feel comfortable in working in a very sensitive area of Windows operations. Mistakes can alter your system configuration with no way to recover easily after the changes have been made.
Protect yourself against the latest in internet threats. Sometimes called Downadup or Kido, the Conficker Worm has infected a large number of computers around the world. As yet, not much is known about the virus or what it is specifically set to do but some researchers estimate that millions of computers have been infected with the threat since January.
Current users of Symantec’s Norton security products are protected. With the latest versions of Norton AntiVirus 2010, Norton Internet Security 2010, and Norton 360 Version 3.0, internet users can protect themselves against Conficker. If you are unable to reach Symantec’s web site, you may already be infected. In that case, they will need to get to a computer that is not infected, download their specialized Conficker removal tool and run it on the infected machine before installing new antivirus software.
The Conficker worm allows its creators to remotely install software on infected machines but no one is exactly sure what it will do. What is assumed is that the worm will be used to create a botnet that will be rented out to criminals who want to send SPAM, steal IDs and direct users to online scams and phishing sites. The 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. The Conficker Worm specifically targets all users of Windows XP and Window Vista. Mac and Linux users are not vulnerable to this software.
Computers that are not configured to receive patches and updates from Microsoft and who are not running an up to date antivirus 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.
Advice to Stay Safe from the Downadup Worm: Run a good security suite (like Norton Internet Security 2010 and Norton 360 Version 3.0) Keep your computer updated with the latest patches. If you don’t know how to do this, have someone help you set your system to update itself. Don’t use ‘free’ security scans that pop up on many web sites. All too often these are fake, using scare tactics to try to get you to purchase their ‘full’ service. In many cases these are actually infecting you while they run. There is reason to believe that the creators of the Conficker worm are associated with some of these fake security products.
Turn off the ‘autorun’ feature that will automatically run programs found on memory sticks and other USB devices. Be smart with your passwords. This includes: Change your passwords periodically Use complex passwords – no simple names or words, use special characters and numbers Using a separate, longer password for each site that has sensitive personal information or access to your bank accounts or credit cards Use a password management system such as Identity Safe (included in Norton Internet Security 2010 and Norton 360 Version 3.0) to track your passwords and to fill out forms automatically. Run Norton Internet Security 2010, Norton AntiVirus 20109 or Norton 360 Version 3.0. You can also try Norton Security Scan for free to find out if you are infected.
Important NEWS items:
May 8, 2009- Conficker worm has found its way onto medical devices. A panel of the US House Energy and Commerce Committee was informed that at least 300 critical medical devices from just a single manufacturer have been infected with the worm malware. The machines were wired to Internet-accessible networks. Regulatory requirements mandate that hospitals impacted by the malware have to wait 90 days before the systems can be modified to remove the infections and vulnerabilities.
We advise that you disconnect any equipment that does not require Internet access or a network connected through Intranet to the Internet to operate to avoid infection. Should a device start behaving radically, seek help from your Supplier to scan for infection and take steps to protect your devices going forward with current updates and vendor support.
Apr. 14, 2009: At the IT360 Conference in Toronto Canada, the theme was preventative - ongoing security with emphasis on the Waledac worm which emerged in December 2008. Worms are becoming very prevalent launching fishing and whaling attacks through gateways with mass mailings, fake web sites (the couponnizer, canadianpharmacy, etc). This leaves us with the message that these threats are growing at a rate of 92% even in the first quarter of 2009. Conficker is using the waledac worm to spread malware- see below info from Webroot.
The threatscape has evolved from intrusive hackers trying to crack legacy systems to very sophisticated criminal activity, where malware adapts and penetrates telecom, portable devices, gateways, cloud or internet services- type software, social networks and more. These ongoing threats need to faced head on since the emphasis now is on profit through fraudulent access and use your own systems to strip banking information your email contacts and spread their malware and infection to others without your knowledge.
Short of administrating a world- wide flu shot every second, it is up to everyone to make sure they are updating their virus definitions from a good quality Internet Security or anti virus/spam program. Plus, you need to keep a 2 way firewall in place to stop the infections from reaching your system (inbound) and being used to spread them to others (outbound). Your help is needed to improve and protect the integrity and quality of the Internet for us all.
April 10, 2009: Webroot warning
Conficker, a virus that takes advantage of a vulnerability in Microsoft's software, has launched another update. Conficker’s engineers are using a peer-to-peer network to update the virus.
The security community is finding in some cases Conficker is now downloading Waledac,, a worm that has been known to display fake infection warnings with an offer to purchase a phony antivirus software program. Examples include System Security 2009, WinWebSecurity, Antivirus Plus, Antivirus 2010, XP Antivirus, and Quad Registry Cleaner. Beware of fake alerts and online ads for free security programs from unknown companies that claim to remove Conficker, or other threats; only download programs from trusted sites.
In addition, Webroot recommends home PC users to take the following steps:
PC users and organizations of all sizes need to install the latest updates to your Windows operating system. These often contain patches for vulnerabilities that can be exploited by Conficker and other malware. Protect your PC with both antivirus, antispyware technology. If you are already running a security suite or antivirus program, make sure it is updated with the latest anti-malware definitions.
The latest releases of Webroot Internet Security Essentials and Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware protect against Conficker and other malware. Click here to learn about protection from Webroot or to buy packages & downloads of the latest versions.
Webroot’s antivirus technology detects and blocks Waledac. If you are using Webroot Internet Security Essentials or Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware, be sure it is updated with the latest virus definitions and that the File systems shield is enabled to ensure you are fully protected from Waledac.
April 3, 2009: IBM has done a scan today of some 2 million computers in the last 24 hours and came up with a startling figure. The Conficker worm was spotted on some 4 percent of the IP addresses it monitored. This finding comes in the wake of IBM researchers revealing that they have successfully reverse-engineered Conficker to track infection by measuring peer-to-peer traffic on the network.
