[ddots-l] This is Serious
- From: "Sharon Hooley" <shooley2@xxxxx>
- To: "Tonilyn Font Size 127" <pip@xxxxxxxxxx>, "Terry Powers" <powerst@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Steve Gomes" <finnygomes@xxxxxxx>, "Rick and Maxine Peirson" <jrcon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Ray Campbell" <ray.campbell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Kathy Durant" <theangles36@xxxxxxx>, "MaryLouise Hooley Carlisle" <carlislemlh@xxxxxxxxxxx>, "Sheron Kendrick" <2470@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Rainee Perdue" <sayhello@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Julie Melton" <jewelsong21@xxxxxxx>, "Jerry and Fran Woodhead" <tfwinc@xxxxxxxx>, "Frank Skogsberg" <skogsbergf@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Carol Sexton" <Sunshinepa@xxxxxxxxxxx>, "Mrs. Ludden" <aludden1920@xxxxxxxxxxx>, "Lauren Simmons" <totallydepravedtotallyReformed@xxxxxxxxx>, "Bob Snyder" <bobwilli2@xxxxxxxxxxx>, "EChurch USA" <ECHURCH-USA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Dean Martineau <dean@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "DB Retreat" <DBRetreat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "dave Earnest" <dav_ear@xxxxxxx>, "Laura Bainbridge" <ljbainbridge@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Maxine Peirson" <teacherwannabe@xxxxxxxxx>, "Gene and Mary Esther Hooley" <hooleyfamily@xxxxxxxxxxx>, "Gary and Loie Hooley" <hooley@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Dale and Dianna Hooley" <hooleyd241@xxxxxxxxx>, "Dad and Mom Hooley" <whooley09@xxxxxxxxx>, "Bob and Donna Detrich" <reeeeeenie@xxxxxxx>, "Becky Hooley" <beckyjh@xxxxxxxxxxx>, "Antara Detrich" <annie8282@xxxxxxx>, "Annie Chifrin" <i_a_hooley@xxxxxxxxx>, "Wendell and Judy Unrau" <unrau@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Care Ministries" <care@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Cake Talking List" <ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Blind Audio Group" <blindaudio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Bernie and Agatha Boone" <baboone@xxxxxxxxxx>, "Assemblies of God Center for the Blind" <blind@xxxxxx>, "The Blind Geek Squad" <the-blind-geek-squad@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:45:10 -0600
Hi,
I got this from another list.
Sharon
Hi all,
Here's today's tip of the day from Kim Komando, and it's a duzy!
This is no joke, forward this to everybody you know. If it's from Kim Komando,
it's truth!
Harry
Conficker prepares to rule the world!
3/31/2009
Q. My friend was telling me about Conflictor. That's a computer thing that is
going to take over the world. Or, maybe not. I assume this is an April Fool's
joke. Right?
-Mamie in Miami, listening on WIOD 610 AM
A. No, Mamie, Conficker (not Conflictor) is the real thing, I'm afraid. No one
knows what it's going to do. But it probably won't be good. (Conficker is
also known as Downadup and Kido.)
April 1, compromised machines will contact hundreds of computers on the Web.
They will get their marching orders, whatever they may be.
Maybe they will start sending spam. Or, they could be roped into massive armies
to attack other computers. Those are called distributed denial of service
attacks. They're used to blackmail sites that need to be online.
Or, Conficker might steal confidential information from its host machine. That
could be in addition to other bad deeds.
Conficker has reportedly compromised millions of Windows machines. Symantec
says 3 million. The Washington Post said 12 million, without attribution.
Cisco says 10 million in 150 countries. It puts China at 3 million; Brazil, 1
million; and Russia, 800,000. The United States has an estimated 200,000
compromised
computers.
Counterfeit Windows installations are common in China, Brazil, Russia and
elsewhere. Microsoft won't update counterfeit installations. So those machines
are wide open. (Somehow, I don't think Microsoft is helping its customers with
this policy.)
Business networks apparently also are vulnerable. They usually have good
security against the outside world. But they may lack security on individual
machines.
So if malware gets past the gates, it can run wild internally. That's
especially true if the machines use weak passwords. Conficker can launch
dictionary
attacks.
Conficker takes advantage of a flaw Microsoft patched in October. Lots of
people don't patch their machines-even when they're legitimate. When Conficker
gets in, it patches the flaw itself. That keeps other criminals out. (Thanks,
Conficker!)
The result: System administrators cannot scan for unpatched machines. At least,
that's the idea. Researchers recently found a flaw in the Conficker patch.
That will help identify compromised machines on networks. Scanning software
companies are working hard to capitalize on that.
Conficker also blocks anti-malware sites. So, if you have outdated protection,
you supposedly can't update it.
Conficker is professionally written. That is why it has spread so capably.
Criminals in Eastern Europe are believed to be behind it.
Of course, it's possible that the April 1 date is a red herring. Even if
Conficker installations are updated on April 1, they won't necessarily do
anything.
Remember, these are probably criminals looking to make money. You don't make
money by shutting down the Web. That's vandalism. Most criminals prefer stealth.
So, April 1 may pass uneventfully for civilians. Pros watching traffic online
will probably see a lot going on.
There is a slim chance that Conficker is vandalism. In that case, maybe just
the host machines will be attacked. But "slim" probably overrates this idea.
This thing is too well done. Old style viruses were written by barely competent
people.
So, this all raises the question of protection. Do you have Conficker on your
machine?
Well, that depends. Do you keep your security programs up to date? Update
Windows regularly? Delete spam immediately? If you answered yes to these
questions,
infection is unlikely.
If you're lackadaisical about security, you may be infected. How do you tell?
Well, there are tools out there to help.
I have several on my site.
So, let's say you find Conficker. What then? Well, get it off your machine
first. Then run Windows Update. Open Internet Explorer and click Tools>>Windows
Update. Download and install critical and important updates.
Once that's done, install and update security software. I've got everything you
need at my
Security Center.
I would also sign up with OpenDNS. This is a free service that makes for faster
surfing. (DNS stands for domain name service (or server or system). These
servers translate names like
www.komando.com
to Web addresses, like 66.210.246.140.) So, we already use it. I have a link to
http://www.opendns.com
But OpenDNS also teamed with Kaspersky (a Russian security company) against
Conficker. It blocks every Web address Conficker uses online. So, if you have
Conficker, it couldn't connect online. I'd install OpenDNS pronto. If you
already have OpenDNS, you're set.
It gives you safer, speedier Web surfing
To locate Web sites, computers use IP numbers. But numbers like 66.102.7.104
are difficult to memorize. That's where DNS (domain name system) comes in.
DNS allows us to use names like www.komando.com instead of numbers.
Behind the scenes, computers still work with IP numbers. Lists of matching
names and numbers are kept by DNS servers. Enter an address, and your browser
requests the matching number from a DNS server.
This lookup process takes valuable time. DNS servers typically keep only
partial lists. Often, one request is forwarded through several servers. Many are
halfway around the globe.
OpenDNS is a free service that aims to speed up this process. OpenDNS servers
keep more complete lists than other DNS servers. Also, your browser's requests
go to the OpenDNS server closest to you.
You don't have to download anything to use OpenDNS. It's available through a
simple change of Internet connection settings. The OpenDNS site includes
instructions
for changing these settings in Windows. There are also instructions for those
who connect through routers.
OpenDNS does more than speed up Web surfing. It can also keep you safer.
OpenDNS keeps an updated list of phishing sites. If you get fooled into visiting
one of these sites, OpenDNS will block it.
OpenDNS can also protect you from Web address misspellings. Misspelled
addresses often lead to advertisers who profit from accidental visitors. OpenDNS
corrects common misspellings on the fly to deliver the sites you want.
Cost: Free!
One other thing: I remember sitting up New Year's Eve, waiting for the Y2K bug.
I think I started with Australia. Nothing ever happened. So, you might not
want to hold a Conficker party. The whole thing could be anticlimactic.
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