Conficker Computer Worm A Bust

(CNET)  This story was written by CNET's Elinor Mills.

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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.

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CNET Roundup OF Conficker Developments

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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. Bogus sites are designed to steal your credit card information and could install malware on your computer instead of a legitimate security program.

So, what is the intention behind the worm, anyway? Why all the fuss?

Like many other worms, it's likely the Conficker worm is designed to create a botnet that could be used to send spam, launch denial-of-service attacks to shut down Web sites or steal data from infected computers.

David Perry, global director of security education at Trend Micro, said he suspects that the worm creators will slice up the botnet and sell it to spammers via underground forums, like they did with the Storm worm.

"The funny thing is that everyone has these expectations that come to them from science fiction viruses. In the movies they blow up the terminal, tip over an oil tanker and bring aliens out of the sky," said Perry. "In reality, the kind of thing a botnet does is much less visible. It's a lot more insidious of them to steal your bank password than to blow up your computer."

Hear more about what happened and didn't and why on this CNET podcast.

By Elinor Mills

[toolmangler-2009]

If everyone bought a mac, no viruses would be written for windows. Just macs. See how it works genius?
Posted by Kuei1248 at 4:34 PM : Apr 1, 2009
Posted by real1413 at 3:55 AM : Apr 2, 2009



Well said and true. Some people are totally 'clueless'

[I_am_me1953]

So, what is the intention behind the worm, anyway? Why all the fuss?

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. Bogus sites are designed to steal your credit card information and could install malware on your computer instead of a legitimate security program.
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And there you have it folks, as good of a reason as any. Set up a scare, set-up a bogus antivirus web site, steal $$, credit card numbers, IDs, passwords.

Everything all at once and you don't even have to write code to do DOS or spam.

[panton41]

MacOS X wasn't "written with security in mind" it was merely based on various BSD *NIXs, which themselves are more secure due to the way UNIX works. Last I heard there are 50 MacOS X viruses "in the wild" (so, yes, you DO need anti-virus on a Mac), about a million for various forms of Windows and none for Linux. Does it mean Linux is more secure than MacOS X? Maybe, but more likely it's a smaller target. Every OS has security flaws, Microsoft is the largest target AND does a poor job patching them in a timely manner. MacOS X and Linux (as well as BSDs) are largely if not totally open source software and tend to patch on a more frequent basis than month on "patch Tuesday".

[cs4466]

JESUS MADE CONFICKER DISAPPEAR
Posted by limbaughisadick at 10:03 PM : Apr 1, 2009

Well, Jesus defeats evil, and conficker was obviously the work of Satan so it just stands to reason you must be right. Praise the lord! LOL!

[cs4466]

SNICKER, I guess I laugh last since I HAVE nothing but G3 then G4 powerpc Mac systems, and with OSX and have for the last 12 years. I have NEVER had to buy any anti virus or other security software

Posted by Newster1 at 10:54 AM : Apr 1, 2009

Uninformed = overconfident.
Posted by missingamerica at 8:11 PM : Apr 1, 2009

Actually it's uninformed = overconfident = infected = embarrassed.

Eventually, anyway. 8-)

[missingamerica]

SNICKER, I guess I laugh last since I HAVE nothing but G3 then G4 powerpc Mac systems, and with OSX and have for the last 12 years. I have NEVER had to buy any anti virus or other security software

Posted by Newster1 at 10:54 AM : Apr 1, 2009

Uninformed = overconfident.

[barbaram99]

That is right. We have a firewall. McAfee/Norton is on duty and up to date..

[rsmik]

Buy a Mac! Every year! Make Steve rich!

[scottyusa]

The sky is falling the sky is falling! Just like global warming. If I were a hacker I would have made it look like it was set for the first and have it really kick in on the second. April Fool

[pw08-2009]

Here the media generates a story yesterday to scare anyone with a computer, then the very next day says..."conficker fails to cause the digital pandemonium..." Although the issue is real, maybe the media should step back and just report the facts about it, instead of apparently trying to create pandemonium...but that's asking too much and the media plays this out over and over with various stories.