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Conficker Ready for World Domination

31 March 2009 38 Comments

conficker virus causes panic

If you watched 60 Minutes on Sunday evening, you may have caught Conficker Panic. Millions of computers have been infected and you’re in danger of being taken over on April 1, 2009. Kind of like the Borg – resistance is futile.

Well no, not really. Most of the machines that are infected are corporate computers. It’s easy to run a scan on your home computer to find / remove the virus if you have it. There are free tools designed especially to locate and remove Conficker from your computer. I started McAfee Stinger on mine this morning…an hour later it is still running and I have to leave for work, so I’ll give you an update when I learn the results.

Update: It’s April 1st, as far as I can tell the Internet is still working, so I guess we’re safe! Both my home and work computers were free of the virus. Did any of you locate it on yours?


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38 Comments »

  • Martin said:

    It’s good to run these programs form time to time. Sometimes I just can’t believe how much gets on my computer that we don’t know about.

    Martins last blog post..Do follow seznam

  • Khaled-Van leasing said:

    That’s worrying I’ve not heard of the Conficker virus before, so downloading the latest updates from AVG and fingers crossed should do the trick. I suspect it may be blown a bit out of proportion like the millennium bug by the media.

  • register company philippines said:

    yeah.. its nice to have those program running on your computer from time to time.

    this is my first time to read about Conficker. I use deepfreeze now to protect my laptop, avast too.

  • George said:

    Hopefully you don’t have it. I checked my computers and they were clean.

    Georges last blog post..Meet Ned the Intern

  • Tips and Tricks said:

    *hugs his Linux box* :p

    it must be a great day for linux users!

    well, i do use both so i’m not completely happy lol

    but my computer is clean so far

    at first i thought it was an april fool joke, but now i guess its not.

    one symptom that indicates you are infected with conficker worm is finding your computer blocked from accessing web sites of security companies.

    also maybe we should block port 445 using a firewall as i read somewhere it attack this one.

    Tips and Trickss last blog post..How to convert an IP address to 10 digits decimal number

  • Ryan Martin said:

    Of all the problems that I am having with my computer right now I can say that the Conficker virus is not one of them. With that said, it is nice to know that our antivirus protection is doing something to earn it keep on my hard drive.

    Ryan Martins last blog post..Bellingham Washington Foreclosure List

  • The Film Wall said:

    i don’t know conficker virus.i always use updated software.now i have to worry about it.it is dangerous virus.thanks to sharing this information.How to save it?

    The Film Walls last blog post..Top Ten Highly Anticipated Hollywood Movies of 2009

  • wisp said:

    I`m from Ukraine, and both in our country and Russia people are using Kaspersky Antivirus to locate such problems.

    But Avast, McCafee and others are good too ;)
    Best wishes!

    wisps last blog post..Chat Support launched!

  • Lutz Suarnaba said:

    Why not migrate to a linux os? Even the av writers the ones started to break their own rules. It’s all about the money. no more no less.

    Latest Trends

    Lutz Suarnabas last blog post..Redefining Keyword Research and Analysis the Dirty way

  • UK SEO said:

    I’m the worlds worst at picking up viruses. I’m forever downloading junk on to my computer and wonder why after 6 months its running slower that a 99 yr old with a hip replacement! Think i’ll check this out.

    Thanks for the post :)

  • bea baylen said:

    thanks for sharing us, actually i used McAfee to scan my computer most of the time.

  • brisbane cosmetic dentistry said:

    It’s really good to run these programs time to time. Thanks very much for sharing this problem with us.

  • Mark @ Irish Jewelry said:

    I scanned 5 computers the day before this monster was supposed to be unleashed and found nothing. Reminds me of the Y2K hysteria. I think one of the keys is to keep your machine(s) updated. In the case of this virus, not having recent updates (or being unable to update) should cause alarm bells to sound in your head.

  • Altesino said:

    I must say that its been a few years since a major virus has swept across the internet. It’s just a matter of time.

    Altesinos last blog post..DoFollow Search Engine Reviews

  • Wulliebull2 said:

    Conficker is kinda like that firework on the 4th of July that just turns out to be a dud and ‘thpbpbpbs’ out.

    I work as internet support for a nation wide cable company taking 30 calls a day on average. Not one mention or sign of Conficker. Here we are 3 days after April fools day and do ya want to know what my calls were about???

    Norton anti virus running there updates and the firewall blocking people from getting on the intenet…

    Go Figure

  • Rhys said:

    Hi – I guess the key to this was in the date – the First of April!!

    Off topic, but:

    Have you seen the ‘review’ of your site on Tuscson SEO Solutions? (day 80)

    Cheers – Rhys

    Rhyss last blog post..The 109 Day Link Building Explosion Review

  • poker said:

    nice post! I use AVG and its free.

    pokers last blog post..April Rounders

  • Seo Diva (author) said:

    Hi Rhys, actually, no, I was unaware of the author’s linking plan. It would probably be a good idea to let the reviewed blogs know about it! At least there were no comments about my whiskers lol!

  • Psychosomatische Kur said:

    Interesting post, thanks. I am looking forward to read your next great post… ;-)

  • Vaio fan said:

    I think, conficker problem is like stories that hackers hack and make explosions in microwave ovens. :)

    Vaio fans last blog post..Нужен ли на сайте форум?

  • Healthy Diet Plan said:

    I figured this would be a whole lot of hoopla for nothing. I’d imagine the spyware, anti-virus and computer security-type companies experienced a spike in sales. Just another news item to spread fear amongst viewers. Best advise is be careful what you click on, and have constant monitoring. I use a variety of open source programs and they do a perfect job.

    Healthy Diet Plans last blog post..Weight Loss Tips

  • Andrew Mafeld said:

    Nice information dear,i use quick heal anti virus software.it is very good anti virus software.thanks to sharing it.

  • Miami web design said:

    I don’t see any virus effect on my computer or even on my friends . Don’t you think it was an april fool Prank

  • hypavera said:

    I wasted hours doing backups just in case. This one was way over hyped.

  • SSERAPHIM said:

    I have not caught this virus. I’m using Eset and Vista with fresh upgrades and I do not load and instal untrusted applications.

  • 0845 numbers said:

    I have a Macbook so I was completely safe from this conficker – however, I’ve not heard of anyone complaining that their computer was infected… Elaborate April fools joke?

  • Seo Diva (author) said:

    @0845 – supposedly not, but I haven’t talked to anyone who has found it on their computer.

  • Seo Diva (author) said:

    @hypavera – thing is, you never know…

  • Wulliebull2 said:

    Here we are 9 days later and Conflicker JUMPS TO LIFE! Well, at least it twitched a bit. Per Microtrend it just updated it’s self with a little key logging script and started moving between P2P networks. Nothing to dramatic yet.

    Thing is that Microsoft sent out an update to combat it back in October so if a computer has updated in the past 6 months chances are that your fine.

    One thing to note about this virus and most others is that if you find that your internet connection will not take you to Microsoft updates or most any antivirus site. You got a virus of some sort.

    Wulliebull2s last blog post..A Pro Bloggers SEO / Plugin Check List

  • Phone service said:

    I had no problems with any of my computers. So far i have not heard of anyone i know who had a problem either. Now i heard they are just trying to sell program to get rid of it from your computer but thier is no actual download just a scam.

    Phone services last blog post..Broadband phone voip service.

  • Trade Show Guru said:

    hey Kay,
    I’m glad conficker turned out to be more “bark” than “bite”, or should I say “byte”. :)
    But anyway, I just wanted to say that you picked a great picture for this post!
    ~ Steve, the trade show guru

    Trade Show Gurus last blog post..Trade Show Booth Staffing Secrets

  • LinkDirectory said:

    I have bad experiences with virus. Mainly the ones that destroy my files. It’s really harmful that I have to re-install the hard drive many times.

  • Offshore employees said:

    removing conficker virus may become so tricky, because it comes in may names (depending on the anti-virus security). the usual victim are those user that surf in anytime without noticing they have clicked a link forwarding to an infected site.

    just put caution on your networking activities, and make sure employees are well-aware of this happenings.

  • Free Web Templates said:

    Well no, not really. Most of the machines that are infected are corporate computers.

  • How I Lost Thirty Pounds in Thirty Days said:

    Great post! Just wanted to let you know you have a new subscriber- me!

  • Healthy Diet Lets Woman Lose Thirty Pounds in Thirty Days said:

    Hi, nice post. I have been wondering about this issue,so thanks for posting. I’ll certainly be subscribing to your blog.

  • Keyword Research Service said:

    It’s funny how certain computer viruses get more publicity when really there are new viruses released every day. Are viruses like Conficker actually that much more dangerous or are their hackers that much better at public relations?

  • Seo Diva (author) said:

    @Keyword Research Service – good question!