April Fool's Day is around the corner and with it another threat of a virus attack. This has become common enough that some of the major news outlets are giving it little attention or even ignoring it completely. Perhaps they remember all to well of the "cry wolf" approaches to the "Millennium bug", "Michelangelo virus", "Blaster", and so many more that just fizzled out in contrast to the dire predictions of doom.
This time there is a real and imminent danger, sort of. Back in October the virus "Conficker" was found that exploited a vulnerability in Windows XP and Vista. By November it was running rampant and slithering its way into computers everywhere. Like a lot of viruses and other malware, this one infects a computer by downloading what is called a "Trojan" (it pretends to be something else) onto the PC and then goes to work disabling what it believes can destroy it. This includes disabling anti-virus software running on the system and blocking access to anti-malware and other security related websites.
Although its not known exactly what Conficker will do on and after April 1st, it is known that it is building its own "botnet". The worms creators will be able to control the infected computers to do their bidding. The infected computers are set to "phone home" to control servers and get updates to the virus and possibly new instructions on what to do. Some analysts believe that the "botnet" will launch a denial of service attack on sites like yahoo.com, wordpress.com, typepad.com and many other sites.It could also be used by its creators to send out spam emails and phishing attacks. WARNING: DO NOT SEARCH THE INTERNET FOR CONFICKER AND GO TO ANY SITE YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH, APPARENTLY MANY FAKE SITES HAVE BEEN SET UP THAT TRY TO INSTALL THE VIRUS INSTEAD OF EDUCATE ABOUT IT.
Shortly after Conficker was found, Microsoft released a patch to fix the vulnerability that let the virus into the system. This patch was distributed through the normal Windows Updates.
As of this writing Conficker is on its third variation. Each variation is getting more sophisticated but for the third iteration, Conficker.C, it is believed the computer must have been previously infected by one of the previous two variants (most likely since the patch Microsoft provided blocks access). As is common with these types of viruses, it mutates by updating itself through its own little network or servers it creates.
So who is in danger of being affected by Conficker?
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Your computer must be running Windows XP or Vista
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Your computer does not run regular Windows Updates. The security updates provided by Microsoft to patch the vulnerability also included a malware removal tool to detect and remove Conficker.
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Your computer's anti-virus software definitions are out of date. It is estimated that 90% of the anti-virus software providers adequately find and remove this virus, including Conficker.C.
So, if you run Windows and do regular Windows Updates you are not affected.
If you use any of the major anti-virus software products and keep your subscription and definitions up to date, you are not affected.As a side note, beware of anti-virus software that is included free or with trial periods. These are notorious for being out of date or simply not adequate. The majority of PCs that have anti-virus software (sometimes even up to date) that are brought in for virus removal have the free McAfee included with Verizon, Comcast, Dell, and other PC manufacturers.
If you use another operating system other than Windows XP or Vista, you are not affected. Its not that other operating systems are more secure, its just that virus writers want the biggest market.
WHAT TO DO NOW TO PREPARE FOR APRIL FIRST (WINDOWS USERS):
Make sure your Windows Updates are up to date (http://update.microsoft.com).
Make sure your anti-virus software subscription has not expired and your definitions are up to date. If you are using a free version of anti-virus software it is recommended that you consider purchasing any of the major anti-virus software products available:
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Symantec (Norton) http://www.symantec.com
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Kapersky http://www.kapersky.com
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Trend Micro http://www.trendmicro.com
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McAfee http://www.mcafee.com
Backup your data. It's always a good idea to back up your important data regularly, not just for April Fools Day because with viruses everyday can be April Fools Day.
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