Conficker virus confounds computer users

Depending upon who you believe, Wednesday, April 1, 2009 will either be a dark day for Windows computer users everywhere, or else we'll all be quoting Marvin the Martian, saying, "Where's the kaboom?" Well, hardly anything computer security related is that black-and-white, but make no mistake, this is a real virus. Microsoft is offering a $250,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of those that created the malicious program [1]. Even the television newshour 60 Minutes spent 15 minutes discussing the potential impact [2]. Of course, Mac and Linux users can rest easy on this front, because the virus takes advantage of vulnerabilities in Microsoft WIndows-based computers.

In short, the Conficker virus, also known as Kido or Downadup, is a worm that attempts to spread itself from one computer to another across networks and via USB flash drives. There are currently four known variants of this worm:

• Win32/Conficker.A [3]
  
• Win32/Conficker.B [4]
  
• Win32/Conficker.C [5]
  
• Win32/Conficker.D [6]

Purportedly the virus is currently stealthily spreading itself from one computer to another, and then lying in wait for instructions. This approach is often referred to as a botnet, where hackers assemble massive arrays of computers that lie in wait for further instructions. Purportedly April 1 is zero-hour for the Conficker army, and the actual results remain to be seen.

Fortunately, there are several actions that you can take today to protect yourself. First, back-up your data! Second, US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team) reports that your computer may be infected [7] if you're unable to navigate to either of these two web sites:

• Norton: The Conficker Worm [8]
  
• McAfee home page [9]

Third, visit Microsoft Windows Update [10] and make sure that your computer has all of the latest patches installed. Further guidance from Microsoft is available:

• IT Professionals: Help Protect Windows from Conficker [11]
  
• Consumers: Protect Yourself from the Conficker Computer Worm [12]

Finally, make sure that your security and antivirus software is up to date. Also, consider using a free online virus scanner to confirm that your security software hasn't been compromised. Two free options include:

• Windows Live OneCare safety scanner [13]
  
• Trend Micro HouseCall [14]

As you might expect, there's much more that you can read about Conficker. This short reading list will get you started:

• Wikipedia [15]
  
• Urban legend debunker Snopes.com [16]
  
• The Wall Street Journal's Digits Blog [17]
  
• CNET [18]