Posted on 04/02/2009 7:02:10 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
As expected, the Conficker worm failed to cause the digital pandemonium that some may have feared.
So, can we all just go back to playing on Facebook and watching the game now?
Not really. Just because the worm failed to create much of a stir on the day it was set to activate, April 1, doesn't mean it won't wake up and act later.
"The (malicious) hackers can tell their worm to do something any day of the year; they're just as likely to do it tomorrow or next Wednesday or in August," said Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant with Sophos.
Then why the April 1 message in the code?
Cluley says he doesn't know. "This was such an invisible change inside the code. It was inconsequential to the infected computer that maybe (the creators) didn't think there would be such a frenzy," he said.
Today, as on any day, PC users should make sure their systems are patched and running the latest security software. People should patch their systems to close the hole in Windows it exploits and update their anti-virus software. The major anti-virus vendors all have free Conficker removal tools.
The worm also can spread via network shares and removable storage devices like USB thumb drives. So users are advised to use strong passwords when sharing files on a network and to download a patch Microsoft released to address the Autorun feature problem in Windows that makes using removable storage risky.
Oh, and be careful about searching for Conficker removal software on Google. Scammers have managed to get fake security sites among the top searches, Cluley said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.cnet.com ...
fyi
Graham Cluley?
Sward of Damocles hanging over our heads forever? I keep my threat detection and intrusion cleaning software up-to-date and will not be frightened off. I shall forge ahead. Dam the torpedoes. ;-)
Oooooh. Open that box!
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