Comments on: The Conficker Worm: What Happens Next?
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- cs4466, you might want to do some research before you post incorrect information, Leap-A couldn't do anything to a Mac, and it affected less than 70 people that were sharing files on iChat... oh boy someone shared a file! You seem not to understand while there are a couple minor trojans and worms (6 total) none of them could touch OSX since there is no way to "autorun" a file or app... There hasn't been any problems for at least 2 years on OSX so the heyday of security issues with that OS are over.
please do research, because at this point you are no better than 60 Minutes by spreading misplaced fear and ignorance.
we all realize you are jealous of OSX since it is so secure, but someday you'll have a Mac and live with out worry. - Reply to this comment
- The OSX/Leap-A worm spreads via the iChat instant messaging system, forwarding itself as a file called latestpics.tgz to contacts on the infected users' buddy list. When the latestpics.tgz archive file is opened on a computer it disguises its contents with a JPEG graphic icon in an attempt to fool people into thinking it is harmless.
Some owners of Mac computers have held the belief that Mac OS X is incapable of harboring computer viruses, but Leap-A will leave them shellshocked.
The worm uses the text "oompa" as an infection marker in the resource forks of infected programs to prevent it from reinfecting the same files.
"Some owners of Mac computers have held the belief that Mac OS X is incapable of harboring computer viruses, but Leap-A will leave them shellshocked, as it shows that the malware threat on Mac OS X is real," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Mac users shouldn't think it's okay to lie back and not worry about viruses."
Sophos customers have been automatically protected against the worm since 12:25 GMT, 16 February 2006.
"This is the first real virus for the Mac OS X platform," continued Cluley. "Apple Mac users need to be just as careful running unknown or unsolicited code on their computers as their friends and colleagues running Windows." - Reply to this comment
- @ jonshadow666
no offense but what you are describing is not possible, even if a government used mostly microsoft OSes. it's naive to think a group of hackers could bring down a "government" by a worm or virus... that's not how it works. sure, you could get some isolated pockets where 200 machines were affected for a day or so, but it's not like machines are consistent enough where "the whole" government would go down.
today, (april 1st) conflicker didn't do anything so the 60 minutes infomercial was a hoax, so relax... get a Unix based machine and stop worrying about any of this. - Reply to this comment
- Thanks for the heads up on the Conflicker worm but, apparently, the worm does not affect or infect) Mac on Linux systems. Another good reason to get a Mac. CBS should be ashamed of itself for not pointing this out exception.
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- As a computer tech person I think that this "Worm" is aimed at something more then just infected a crap load of computers. I mean, look at it from a hackers point of view. If I were to create a virus or worm of this magnitude then I would aim it at something much larger then just a few computers to take peoples money. I would aim it at the gov't because if I was able to take down the gov't then who knows what else I could do. Most of the hackers that infect computers here in the US are from Russia and they don't like us much so that alone would lead me to believe that if they really wanted to mess with us they would try to tackle the gov't because that would cripple us completely and we would be hard pressed to rebuild ourselves in time for another attack of a different kind such as a terrorist attack or something of that kind. I think that this is on a much larger scale then people think and soon we will find out what this conficker is all about.
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- Hackers name was actually written with cyrillic letters Tempeng not Tempest. If Jackson can't read even that simple cyrillic text when he's hunting hackers, he really don't convince me as professional......
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- This Conficker Worm and related viruses are easy to resolve and handle. I Posted a solution yesterday with details but CBS deleted it, probably thinking I was endorsing a magazine or product, actually I was only trying to resolve this problem, there is no financial incentive in my solution, nothing is in it for me. Smart people do not surf the web with Windows (sorry Microsoft), smart people use Windows off-line and surf the web with "LIVE" LINUX CDs or DVDs only. Nothing gets installed on your computer hard drive, nothing gets written to your computer hard drive or DVD drive and you are completely safe, provided you don't disclose personal information on unsavory sites and only you can control that. With a "LIVE" LINUX CD or DVD, you can even click on a bad link by mistake and no real damage is done because nothing gets updated on your computer. "LIVE" LINUX CDs or DVDs are readily available in book store magazines or as free downloads if you know how to burn a CD or DVD. LINUX and 1000's of computer programs that run on LINUX are 100% FREE. The computer industry does not like LINUX because no one makes any money when things are "FREE", even though IBM now uses a modified version of FREE LINUX it sells to its customers, but since LINUX can't be sold, can only be given away for FREE since thats the LINUX philosophy and License, IBM is actually only charging for support services, hmmm. Now you know! Get LINUX, everything is FREE and LINUX is a lot easier to use than in the past when it first came out and when you run LINUX from a "LIVE" CD or DVD, you are completely safe! :) I use Windows, but not on the web, I use Windows off-line "only". Windows is not safe online! As an added note and in defense of Microsoft, Microsoft made Windows too powerful so their customers could do whatever they wanted, the problem is, Hackers and Criminals can do whatever they want too!
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- A few links about your program using false information and illegaly pictures of Finnish kids, just for your information:
This is a joke web page about Finnish Nazis, using the same picture as you did:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040202055508/http://www.pelulamu.net/isanmaa/
This is the creator of the page. He tells in this website that those young kids were symphatising nazis years ago, but all of them left the ideology:
http://www.pelulamu.net/viznut/web/isanmaa/
Biggest nespaper in Finland writes about you and interviews the teacher of the kids:
http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/artikkeli/Amerikkalaisohjelma+leimasi+suomalaisnuoret+nettirikollisiksi/1135244835194
Also Finnish blogs have noticed you. Here is an example:
http://blog.simoh.net/ - Reply to this comment
- Congratulations! You are in all the news in Finland!
Reason: You were sending disinformation about "Russian hackers" to Americans by using photos of school boys from Finland! You even gave them false Russian names and told that these are some of those Russian hackers!
What is your motivation? Manipulating people to dislike Russians?
I do not know about your laws, but I think here your program would have been considered as DEFAMATION. I suppose you have at least told to your customers about the mistake and contacted the Finnish boys?
Do you have any idea, how much your program or even American media have lost its reputation here? I am kind of getting an idea that you are sending out pure propaganda!? Myself after years of following Russian, American, European and Middle Eastern media, I unfortunately cannot give a very respectful degree for American media. It is not easy to explain, but I encourage everyone to follow different medias from different countries.
Best regards from Finland, European Union - Reply to this comment
- incorrect, mogul_racer... so far, OSX (8 years) and NeXTSTEP "the earlier name of OSX" (13 years) there hasn't been a single virus... so you don't mean rare, you mean nonexistent.
you are probably referring to "proof of concept" viruses that never could spread in the wild, but no, there has never been a single virus on OSX.
facts are facts... now you know! - Reply to this comment
