Tag: CONFICKER

We're sure you're all familiar with Conficker, but that's just one blip in the long and storied history of computer viruses. F-Secure put together a nine-minute video tracing the evolution of viruses from the very first (Brain), to non-destructive joke viruses of the early '90s (Walker), all the way up to the nuclear plant-crippling cyber-weapons (Stuxnet). ...

There's a load of great tech news happening out there every day, and, unfortunately, we just can't cover it all. Here are a few of the other noteworthy things we saw today on our never-ending journey through the wild, wild Web. We're not trying to take sides in this whole Apple vs. Adobe battle. We do limit our weekly time-wasters to Flash-based games, because, well, they're endlessly ...

In the occasional rush to get to the office on time, just about all of us have either illegally driven in the carpool lane or exceeded posted speed limits. Sometimes, you get caught and pay a fine, and sometimes, you get away scot-free. Call it luck and thank the Lord, but drivers in Manchester, England have something else to thank for eluding recent traffic fines -- the Conficker worm. The ...

If you thought Conficker was bad, meet Gumblar. If malware programs were comic book villains, Conficker would be Kingpin -- evil for sure, but really just a big bully. Gumblar on the other hand would be Galactus -- massive, all-powerful, evil, and extremely difficult to defeat. ScanSafe, a computer security firm, has been tracking the progress of the worm since its arrival on the scene in March, ...

If stories with twisted logic make your head hurt, you might want to just scroll on down the page and read the next story. Or, go pop an aspirin, because this one's a bit of a doozy. According to Reuters' account of Microsoft's annual Security Intelligence Report, published on Wednesday, people's fears of being infected by viruses and other malicious software is actually helping those viruses ...

If you were watching or reading the news last week, chances are you got an ear (or eye) full about Conficker. Everyone was atwitter about how, on April 1st, the virus would awaken and do... something. That day came and went and, ultimately, nothing happened. But, according to CNN, something is finally happening. It seems that the virus is starting to stir, waking up on some machines and reaching ...

Well, the day is here. April 1st. By now, Conficker was supposed to have reduced us to quivering, crying messes as it destroyed our computers, poured sugar in our gas tanks, and had sex with our mothers. None of these things have come to pass, however. Instead, Conficker has been relatively quiet all morning. Several outlets have been tracking the worm and all have spotted minimal activity. ...

In the list of the nastiest viruses out there, Conficker would certainly find itself near, if not at, the top. One of the things that makes Conficker such a pest is the difficulty in detecting and removing the malware. Conficker covers its tracks; after infecting a vulnerable PC, it tricks security software into thinking that the Microsoft patch that protects against Conficker has been installed. ...

It's been a while since we last reported on developments in the Conficker virus saga -- primarily because there hasn't been much progress. The dangerous virus is still out there infecting PCs and scaring the hell out of security experts. According to CNN, the Conficker Cabal (a self-named group of computer scientists and security companies) dug through the code of the virus and discovered ...

Oh that Conficker virus, it just won't go away. Despite its authors having a bounty placed on their heads by Microsoft, the thing is still spreading, updating itself, and becoming even more prevalent. That spells bad news for Southwest Airlines, discovered Mike Wood, a security expert at SophosLabs. In a recent SophosLabs corporate blog post, he explained that millions of computers infected ...

Just as Microsoft has decided it's done playing games, and has put a price on the head of the hackers behind Conficker, the elusive cyber-criminals have upped the ante. A new version of the malware, dubbed Conficker B++, is spreading like wildfire, thanks to a newly unplugged security hole and self-updating features. The new version allows the virus to download updates that could ...

So the notorious Conficker/Downadup/Kido has really caught the attention of Microsoft, and pissed off the maker of the target operating system, Windows. Microsoft is offering a $250,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to the arrest of those responsible for coding and spreading the virus. The worm, which exploits a hole in the Windows operating system to spread over the ...

Just how powerful is the Conficker Windows virus? Well, according to French publication Libération, the notorious worm is powerful enough to ground French fighter planes. The systems of the French Navy were infected by Confiicker on January 12 and taken offline to isolate the infection and clear the systems. Two weeks later, the systems are still offline and many weapons systems along ...

As if the threat of the Conficker hanging over our heads weren't enough, now we've got the second coming of the Storm Worm, called Waledec, to watch out for. Waldec spreads via e-mails claiming to have a Valentine's Day greeting for you. Clicking on the link contained in the message takes you to a page containing dozens of hearts with the message "guess which one is for you? Clicking on any of ...

What is Conficker? Conficker, also known as Downadup or Kido, is the latest super virus to spread around the Internet and has security experts in a panic. When last we checked, about a week ago, Conficker had already spread to 9 million PCs, with little sign of slowing. Now it has infected at least 10 million PCs and experts believe there may be up to 350 million vulnerable computers out there. ...