What is it?
It is a network worm that takes advantage of vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows to spread. Initially it used to be the vulnerability described in MS08-067 regarding the RPC Server Service issues, but then it was also able to spread through windows shares and removable storage devices.
How can you get infected?
- if you do not perform your windows updates (yes, I know… sometimes you have to restart your computer, but still!) and if you do not have a security solution installed.
- if the administrator account on the attacked system has a week password (1234567890, admin and even qwerty are NOT good passwords)
- if the computer has the Autoplay feature enabled (who here knows how to disable this?) and an infected mapped/removable disk is attached (everyone has at least one USB stick)
What does it do?
Not much. But could transform your computer into a drone from a larger botnet. It’s like a huge corporation, and your computer just received a nice job in the company. A massively underpaid one!
What can you do with a botnet?
- Corruption of Defensive System - The most dangerous aspect related to Conficker infection is that it completely neutralizes defensive systems. In other words, any infected machine holds a huge security breach that can be exploited anytime from now on. It is like having a house with a door wide open all the time, even when you sleep or go to work or in vacation.
- Distributed Denial of Service – we all know what DDOS is
- Pay-per-Click Systems Abuses and Frauds – oldie but goldie
- Key Logging, Traffic Monitoring and Mass Identity Theft
- Spamming – most probably
Whitepaper – http://www.bitdefender.com/files/Main/file/Conficker_-_One_Year_After_-_Whitepaper.pdf
You are going to like the whitepaper. Did you know a couple of weeks ago we had conficker’s aniversary?
Podcast - http://news.bitdefender.com/site/viewPage/multimedia.html
Tips
- Check with your operating system provider on a regular basis – download and install the latest security updates, malware removal tools, as well as other patches or fixes.
- Install and activate a reliable password protected antimalware, firewall,
- spam filter and parental control solution, like those provided by BitDefender.
- Update your antimalware, firewall and spam filter as frequent as possible,
- with the latest virus definitions and suspicious applications/files signatures.
- Scan your system frequently.
- Stay informed about e-threats and security.
