SAVAGEJIM

Yep, and the About:Blank virus was just that, it directed your internet to their bogus anti-virus sales sites, and they dont work.

Nik.

by about:blank you mean Cool Web Search, which was not created by the website owners/etc but most probably a third party who was paid. That's how adware works

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CoolWebSearch#Variants

boltech

Not all programmers are fat lard ***es... On the other side of the world they are skinny Asians ! (possibly from playing WoW for days on end without eating or going to the bathroom)
http://www.pcworld.com/article/16224...l?tk=nl_dnxnws

*the mods will prolly have my account in a sling for this post*

SAVAGEJIM

Yep, thats the one! And what sucks is once that bug was in your system, you were screwed!

Worse, when I had my old machine infected by it, I tried to install a new anti-virus program. The punks who wrote that damn CWS included coding to specifically BLOCK all attepts to add any anti-virus programs!

I had to do a complete wipe of the machine and reinstall everything from scratch.

SAVAGEJIM

LOL, that is funny, well maybe not, because if you do get this virus, you could literally be screwd.

I hit the web, and the only thing I can find that Microsoft has to stop this damn bug is a malware DL that scans your machine. Does anyone know if there is a patch to block against this damn thing?

Nik.

I had cws too back in the day. I learned a ton by trying to get rid of it.

Isn't Microsoft offering 250 thousand dollars for information to the conficker writer? Id want him too, but not to punish, I'd hire him!

MadManAndrew

NOD 32 all the way! Had it for years and never had a virus...

MadManAndrew

+1, the people that write super-virus's like this are like super'genuises, and should be punished by being put to work writing anti-virus software, etc, for the rest of thier lives...

Dialed_In

Yes, it was patched back in October. If your Windows is patched, your behind a hardware (router) or software firewall and have adequate protection for USB devices you are safe. All of this April 1st ruckus is mainly concerning already infected machines.

It's also a great idea to keep all of your other programs updated. This site can do a free online scan to check for vulnerable apps or there is a downloadable "personal" version. http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/ I would recommend checking with the Secunia scanner at least once a month. I know it helps me keep track of important updates to Windows, Flash Player, media players, Java, PDF readers, etc...

I would also recommend Avast or Avira for a free anti-virus over AVG. Avast is the most complete free anti-virus which includes anti-spyware protection while Avira has the best detection rates with some anti-spyware protection.

From what I have been reading, most people infect themselves by installing junk. So it's a good idea to only download from known safe sources or investigate everything you download and scan it with multiple scanners. MalwareBytes anti-malware, SuperantiSpyware and A-squared all have good free on-demand (scan only, no protection) Anti-Malware scanners. Everything I download gets scanned with 2 on demand scanners as well as my anti-virus and/or uploaded to VirusTotal or Jotti (if under 10MB) to be scanned by multiple scanners.

http://www.malwarebytes.org/
http://www.superantispyware.com/
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/ (A-squared anti-malware)

http://www.virustotal.com/
http://virusscan.jotti.org/

Krazy Chicken

so is any one infected?? and what did the virus/worm do??

crowdie

Interesting.. I was reading about this yesterday.
According to [link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conficker]THIS[/link] some important places have already been infected.

"Intramar, the French Navy computer network, was infected with Conficker in 15 January 2009. The network was subsequently quarantined, forcing aircraft at several airbases to be grounded because their flight plans could not be downloaded.

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that some of its major systems and desktops were infected. The worm has spread across administrative offices, NavyStar/N* desktops aboard various Royal Navy warships and Royal Navy submarines, and hospitals across the city of Sheffield reported infection of over 800 computers.

On 13 February 2009, the Bundeswehr reported that about one hundred of their computers were infected.
A memo from the British Director of Parliamentary ICT informed the users of the House of Commons on 24 March 2009 that it had been infected with the worm. The memo, which was subsequently leaked, called for users to avoid connecting any unauthorized equipment to the network."

HJJFFFAA

My claim that government computers could be attacked was BS huh?

Jailbird1818

My Feedback: (5)

This is why I keep my windows machine off-line and strictly dedicated to CAD work. A Mac is my internet machine.

-JB

Williwa

The virus was made by lots geniuses from Russia (says so by Good Morning America)
Its meant to trace everything you do, everything you type, and everything you send.

Also today the worm is updating itself today (April 1st), getting new instructions to dominate teh world.
look what its doing[&:] http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_153464.htm

pyromania

My Feedback: (1)

LOL nice april fools joke

Krazy Chicken

it is?? i thought it would be better if when it was supposed to activate it just appeared with a message that said "april fools"

pyromania

My Feedback: (1)

I was just being sarcastic. I've been running my McAfee virus scanner for the last hour and a half on my labtop, and nothing yet. Also I'm gonna use the McAfee Conflicker detection tool, just to double check. Gonna do the same for the livingroom PC first thing in the morning.

Edit: Just finished and nothing has been found. Whoo!

Enzyme80

Ok so i may be late on this but if you run Windows (as most of us do) and have updated it since late October of last year you are all set AV or no AV. Hate MS all you want but they are trying to be better (and FTR i hat MS but they are the reason i have a job) *Programmer who does not create worms*

Also for those who thing that Macs and or Linux cannot get virus's you are wrong. It is just much less likely that you will, and yes it is mainly because MS is still the key player and they will be for a long time Windows 7 is going to make sure of that. That said, set your OS to auto update and your VS to update at least once a week and you should never really have a problem unless you go to those sites you shouldn't or click on a link that says "OH WOW LOOK AT MY NEW PICS!!!!!!" or something along those lines.

Quick way to know if you got it is to try to run the auto update in MS or go to microsoft.com (or any major AV web site). if you can update or get to those sites you are good to go and do not have the virus.

The_Collector

Now, that's a day I hoped we would never have to see.

calvino

I run AVG and so far I haven't had an issue [8D]. These bugs are getting "meaner" by the day, makes you sorta scared to use your own PC [:@][&:][:'(]

boltech

Many mid to high range motherboards have a backup bios which is non flashable. This (backup) bios will allow you to boot the system (and /or) reflash the primary bios back into a usable state. many low end boards are protected by simply not permitting writing of the boot block, so that the system can be reflashed should the bios be corrupt.

Accessing the backup bios can be as simple as placing your cmos clear jumper in the clr position and powering on the system. Others may have a dedicated jumper.

Class is dismissed, Next week's lesson.. How not downloading crap, avoiding toolbars, and staying away from porn sites keeps you windows system clean and running fast.

Dialed_In

Or if you decide you must do this, a nice sandbox and light virtualization application helps tremendously. But you are right and like I said, most people infect themselves and it is sad. I personally run Firefox with NoScript and AdblockPlus in Sandboxie with a couple extra rules and when surfing "the dark side" I enable Session lock in Returnil. When I'm done surfing, I empty the sandbox and reboot to clear all changes during the Returnil session. And just for kicks, I use Avira and Online Armor free firewall/HIPS. I even got bored/curious and went looking for a malware sample. After I grabbed it, I uploaded it to Virustotal and way less than half of the scanners detected it. If anyone is using an anti-whatever that relies on definitions, that should be a wake up call.

I wish folks knew more about alternative security programs like HIPS, behavior blockers, sandboxes and light virtualization. There are even some that have free versions so there is no excuse for something slipping by a conventional AV/AS. It's time to think outside the box that you pick up at wally world hehe. A free "suite" that one puts together themselves can protect better than a $80 suite with a 1 year license.

I saw my niece tonight and she said her mother wouldn't let her use the computer because of this scary virus. It is a shame that the media blew this thing way out of proportion. I explained there is nothing to worry about as I know her Windows is up to date and Windows firewall is on and now their behind a router. The only other way she could get infected is by USB which is highly unlikely in her situation.

splcrazy

have you guys ever suspected the people writing these viruses are the people that sell antivirus programs , they are all laughing at us and making money making us scared of new viruses so that we go out and buy more of their antivirus programs

boltech

That is a given! I would not be surprised if some of those hackers work for government law enforcement agencies, busting Terrorists, Pedophiles, and Movie downloaders .
If your system is open for the world to see because of a backdoor Trojan, can any evidence found on it really be thrown out of court?

But back to antivirus companies... yeah that is a definate possibility. It’s no different than what auto makers are doing. A particular model hub sensor is known to be bad, but they will charge you to replace it with the same model hub sensor.

Stuff like this has been going on for years, companies generating their own business

Dialed_In

Malware nowadays is mostly wrote for monetary gain. Most bad guys are out to steal your identity, accounts and grow, rent or sell their botnets to commit ddos attacks. There is some malware meant to spy and yes, governments do use this tactic. What all or most of these have in common is that they end up being installed by the user. Folks download free PrOn, screensavers, cracked versions of software, greeting card programs etc.

The bad guys are after the "low hanging fruit" or easy targets. Keep everything updated, make sure your behind a firewall (hard and/or soft), use reliable security software you understand [link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_software](not rogue or fake software)[/link] and don't download or click everything you see. A little common sense and education goes a long way in keeping safe.