* Conficker C & April 1st *

yorksrabbit

spud17 wrote: »

Received this article today,

http://windowssecrets.com/2009/03/30/01-Run-a-Conficker-removal-tool-before-April-1

Thanks for posting that link, spud. I've just opened this morning's emails and have also found the Windows Secrets "special bulletin".

I've always been a fan of Windows Secrets since Fred Langa's days and it's great to see its standard is as high as ever.

Today's "special bulletin" has to be the most reassuring and most informative editorial I've yet read about conficker.

Hopefully others who may have worries will click on the link in your post.

aliEnRIK

Im really scared. I feel my worlds about to crumble...............

HoofeHearted

There is an interesting article in The Register about latest breakthrough in detecting/removing Conficker.

devizes18193

so would not a normal av programe update catch it i use macacffe

HoofeHearted

devizes18193 wrote: »

so would not a normal av programe update catch it i use macacffe

To be quite honest, I am not sure any more. I have just found this article which supplies links to different detector/removal tools.

yorksrabbit

devizes18193 wrote: »

so would not a normal av programe update catch it i use macacffe

I don't know -- TBH, I don't use McAfee anyway, I couldn't work out what I was paying for considering that both Avira and Avast offer superb freeware antivirus apps.

But then, I never trust to an anti-virus on its own anyway: this PC has WinPatrol running in the background and Comodo's Firewall, and is periodically (once a week) scanned by Malwarebytes and SUPER anti spy -- from experience, I've found these last two to be the best of their type I've ever used.

PC protection does seem to be pretty subjective though, so what works for one person may not work for another.

I do use Microsoft's update service but on a notify-only basis / choose-to-download -- not "auto-install": there've been too many incidences of an MS patch not being properly thought through and so a patch-of-a-patch has been necessary.

However, all 'essential' security patches are in place, which is why I'm personally not bothered about conficker C -- though will be intrigued to see what, if anything, happens elsewhere in the world over the next few days and weeks (Windows Secrets points out that contrary to widespread Internet chat, conficker C infected hardware won't necessarily be ready to swing into action, as it were, on April 1st.)

PS: having Secunia on a PC is very helpful for ensuring that all software is up to date -- no good having the best AV around yet running obsolete software which may have become vulnerable to exploitation.

Mr_Rossi

As far as I can tell on my laptop running Vista, the patch is KB958644 (security update). It was downloaded on 24/10/08...
If people don't have windows updates at all, then they would have missed out on A LOT of updates. Saying that I have spoke to people who have never even updated their anti-virus (!), family and friends.

Darth_Trader

Lol. I only heard about conficker this morning - and thought, 'Here we go. The usual April Fools Day prank on BBC news'. But then I saw it on Yahoo News and checked Reuters News Agency. 'Funny,' I thought. 'All the world's media conspiring to set up a prank on exactly the same alleged virus.'

It was only when Yahoo News posted an article about bad weather from France meaning it'll rain snails today that I twigged the conficker virus might actually exist!

Oh, well. Still unable to download service pack 1 for Vista. Too big for my connection (30kbps). Any ideas how I can get hold of SP1 for Vista, anyone? Is it for sale in any of the highstreet computer shops, for example? I guess it would probably be useful to have on my comp.:rolleyes:

Percy1983

taking a few steps back, what the advantage of AVIRA over AVG.

As for this Virus, what is there to worry about? just mass panic because its been on the news?

aliEnRIK

Percy1983 wrote: »

taking a few steps back, what the advantage of AVIRA over AVG.

As for this Virus, what is there to worry about? just mass panic because its been on the news?

Avira has far better defintion files (Meaning its a lot more likely to catch the nasties than AVG is)

And yes ~ mass hysteria