CONFICKER

IF you can read this, your computer may not be infected.

On the other hand, you may be.

"CONFICKER" is a virus which takes over computers and turns them into 'bots'. Think BORG ("Resistance is Futile; You will be Assimilated.") Rumor has it that it will be activated on April 1, 2009. Really? I don't know, but reliable sources say it's going to happen.


Fox News has a valuable article which defines the obvious symptoms, and what you can do about it, in case you are a victim of this April Fools Day trick (which may or may not be a real threat ... until we get hurt, it's hard to tell whether or not a threat is real.)

One of the characteristics of the bug seems to be that it prevents its victims from accessing the anti-virus websites which offer a 'fix':

One scary thing about Conficker is that it spreads without human involvement, moving from PC to PC by exploiting a security hole in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system.

The hole was fixed in October, but if your computer doesn't get automatic updates from Microsoft, you could be vulnerable.

Lots of computer worms disable antivirus outright, which can be a tip-off that something is wrong.

But Conficker doesn't do that. Instead, Conficker blocks infected PCs from accessing the antivirus vendors' and Microsoft's Web sites, so victims won't get automatic updates and can't download the Conficker removal tools that those companies have developed.

So see what Web sites you can visit. If you can navigate the Internet freely except for sites owned by Microsoft or antivirus vendors such as Symantec Corp., McAfee Inc. or F-Secure Corp., your PC might have Conficker or a similar bug.

What are these "blocked sites"?

One of them is the Symantic Anti-Virus website (specifically, this one which deals with Conficker Worm).
Another is the Microsoft Malware Protection Center website; here's the MS warning page on Conficker.

So if you click on these links, and you can't make a connection ... there's a good chance (according to the Fox advisory) that you have a problem.

The computers most at risk are those which are running Microsoft XP or VISTA, and do not automatically receive updates from Microsoft (which should provide the latest 'fixes' to the notoriously vulnerable MS Operating Systems.)

---

There's a moral to this story.

That is, if you do NOT already receive and install MS updates, if you do NOT subscribe to a good Anti-Virus software package, or if you don't have the latest updates, or if you haven't scanned your hard-disk lately, just remember the words of Robo-Cop:

"Secure the computer, or There May Be Trouble."

No, that's not right. What I should have said is: BUY the security software, INSTALL the software, UPDATE the viral profiles regularly, and SCAN your hard-disk often!

PS: If you don't see any updates to this blog by the end of the week, I may be the one in trouble. In that case, I expect one of my many friends to send me the 'fix'. Preferably, without adding insult to my injury.