Off topic; Warning about new worm...

[Fluffysmom]

My roommate works at an office with several employees, and their  internet technology person said that there is a new, very nasty worm set to launch on April 1.  She has told me to shut down the computer this afternoon, totally.

I hope to get more information and post it before she tells me to shut down; she wants everything unplugged, even, under the IT person's advice.  I assume she'll come up with some advice about what to do about it to protect our computers.

If anyone has more information about this before I get back with more, please share.  Our computers are pretty important, right?  I had to set up a laptop, sign on with dial up, go directly where to get directions to fix the damage done by a virus to the main computer here at my roommate's once, and it was a royal pain.

I hope we all avoid this worm - I'm sure it has a name, I just haven't been reading about such things, just got the warning from my roommate which came from her IT person.

Kathy

[meg321]

I was told by Symantec that if ypur computer is protected, you will be okay.  Its the most vulnerable computers they will attack.

And my daughter in law works there and told me, so I trust what she said...

meg

[Fluffysmom]

Oh, all the updates, firewalls, and Spybot S&D will be in place before the shut-down.  My roommate is coming up in a minute to make sure that everything is prepared; including the stuff about AOL.

I think the unplugging is because of the ability of the authors of this malware keep mutating the virus to keep sneaking on in unexpected ways.  I just think she's not wanting to take any chances.

Hmm, apt metaphor, Lulu...

Kathy

[Lulu54]

Our IT department has also requested that we be hypervigilant with this one.  However, unplugging for the day of April 1 will not help.  If your computer already has this virus sitting and waiting to exploit your computer you may be facing havoc for a while.

be sure to update your security software and your system... and Mac users are safe from this one.

sounds an awful lot like a metaphor for MS doesn't it?  Something just waiting in our system waiting to cause trouble.....
Lulu

[Quixotic1]

Thanks, Kathy.  I will update my Kaspersky signatures.

Quix

[Fluffysmom]

Just a quick update regarding the Conficker Worm that is set to begin at midnight on April Fool's Day (this Wednesday):



As of this writing, the only thing known specifically about this worm variant is that it will block infected machines from running removal tools with "Conficker" in the name.  It will also apply it's own version of the Microsoft patch (MS08-067) thereby overwriting the vulnerability fix. It is set to release an initial destructive payload of 50,000 plus infected computers due to users not realizing they're infected.



Here are some suggestions to stay 'out of trouble' provided free via the Internet:

Make sure your computer is updated with the latest virus signatures.  Most antivirus applications default to updating automatically but it's best to check periodically by opening the application and verifying the last download date. For those of you who don't have AV software, you can download freeware here at AVG Free.
  
Microsoft Windows Update - The update to patch this particular worm is MS08-067.   Originally released in October, most systems should have the patch if automatic updates are enabled or you frequently visit the Update site to download manually.  If you don't already do this on your home machines, it's a good time to start the practice.

Spybot S&D (Search And Destroy)  can help remove tracking cookies, malware registry entries and other 'nasty bits' designed to send your information out to the Internet. It also includes a TeaTimer application that will automatically notify you if a web page tries to change your registry settings or startup programs.  

Download the application to it's default location and follow the instructions once installed including "Updates", "Immunization" and "Check For Problems".  If it detects Windows Defender or other anti-virus applications as spyware, uncheck those before running a "Fix Selected Problems".  (*Another freeware option is WinPatrol but runs on a more complex interface)

Turn your Firewall ON.  (With XP and Vista users, remove the "Remote Assistance" port in the Exceptions tab. If you use AOL, remove ALL AOL entries in the firewall.  You'll still be able to connect.  AOL is considered a 'nasty bit' in most IT worlds and is very invasive. )

For those of you with Comcast, I recommend being proactive in guarding against new attacks and regularly perform the above actions on top of what Comcast alleges it provides.  

If you're a YouTube, Facebook or MySpace user, BEWARE.  Phishing is rampant on those sites and passwords/personal information are easily seized without your knowledge. As with any social media sites, your information is available for everyone if they're curious enough.


I don't think that means us as we're pretty anonymous here.  I checked and found that my roommate's computer has automatically downloaded the necessary patches and updates; I hope you'll all check and see if your computer is protected.

I found that going to Microsoft.com and selecting updates gave more easily understandable information than on the above sites that the IT person sent this morning.  There is a lot of information about the virus/worm, so if you're interested, check it out.

[Fluffysmom]

Ha, I got done posting this, and there was an e-mail from my roommate's office.  She sent the following links:

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1238443907751.shtm



http://iv.cs.uni-bonn.de/wg/cs/applications/containing-conficker/

I'm supposed to follow the instructions on the first link for her home computer.  Gosh, I hope MedHelp doesn't censor those links; I'll check in when I get back from PT and see if I need to repost them.

See you later,

Kathy