Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: Martin (Admin) on April 09, 2009, 09:23:46 am
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Whither the Conficker virus?
(From CNET Download.com )
April 1 may have come and gone without the dreaded Conficker virus destroying the world, but does that mean we can forget all about it? Not a chance. The estimated 9 million to 15 million Windows PCs infected with Conficker are still a serious online security threat.
So if you don't want your computer unwittingly sending spam, participating in denial-of-service attacks, or infiltrating other PCs to steal sensitive data, there's no better time than the present to detect and remove Conficker.
On Friday, Seth Rosenblatt wrote about a new visual test for Conficker, but if you want to be completely sure that it isn't on your machine, check out his full article on ridding your Windows PC of the Conficker virus for good.
Infected? - http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10212286-12.html
Removal. - http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10208734-12.html
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Tried the test ,wouldn't even load the page (the page you are looking for is curently unavailable) .
Even tried to access the web page by shotening the address .
Does this mean i am doomed <:( .
daz
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Bye Daz, it was nice knowing you! <:(
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I don't quite understand what the link was suppose to do (being a computer numpty), but it did load and I could see everything, so I'm hoping I'm o.k.
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The Conficker virus and it's variants do all sorts of things to your computer in the background without you knowing but mainly using you PC to send out tons of junk emails or DoS attacks (using your and hundreds of other infected PC to bombard a website or agency). The problem with the virus is that if you are infected, it compromises ALL your security so you can be easily hacked and your identity stolen....
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Well i still cant get the page to load at all, so i went onto the removal page and read away .
It says that if you can open and download from the top anti virus sites then your ok ,so i opened the AVG site and started the download and all is ok(i didn't use it as i run avast) , so does this mean that i am now safe :-) <:( :-) <:( :-) :-) .
daz
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If it is any help, daz, I loaded and checked the eye test thingy no problem on my PC but had the same trouble as you on the laptop. Don't you just love computers {:-{
Mike
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hi Daz, if you are still having a problem with the eye chart here is another site that checks. I checked on both computers and the response was immediate (and I'm free ! %% )
http://iv.cs.uni-bonn.de/fileadmin/user_upload/werner/cfdetector/
Mike
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tried that one Mike ,
yippee i am free
daz
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I am definatly clear now , found a link from my home page news direct to the web site and clicked on the page .
All the images come up ok , me a happy bunny now :-)) :-)) .
daz
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Before you start handing out the cigars Daz - is this Conficker thing still taking on recruits ? Who knows as you are reading this the bug may be creeping up your lead :embarrassed:
Sorry to be a party pooper O0
Mike
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Dear All,
Having three compatible 'walls' and Malware progs. set up, I am wondering what this is all about? Norton is not one of them because we all know what that can do! But, following Which in their recommendations, I must say I am wondering what's what and what is being suggested. The main Malware/Anti Vir prog. is showing that there is nothing to be be concerned about, and nothing is being reported elsewhere, so where is the source of this matter?
Regards, Bernard
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Don't really know much about worms and the like. I assumed that this Conficker was a bit like the millenium bug ie come 1st April nothing happened ! But I followed a link on the Daily Mail page yesterday that says it is now kicking in around the world and starting to cause mischief. Heres the link :
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10215678-83.html
I would think if it really did start messing things up it would get more headlines than it is at the moment
Mike
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Dear Mike,
As far as I can gather from an IT consultant for 'an Org.', it's yet another ploy to engage people to clog the I.Net telling people about some wretched thing. All scans have showed nothing, all blocks have showed nothing, all security checks have showed nothing, but at least it is worth knowing that something might be about all the same. Forewarned is forarmed and all that.
Regards, Bernard
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The thing is, on here, we are all computer savvy enough to have followed Martins estimable advice and have a firewall working, up to date anti virus software and something to scan for malware once in a while, and we don't follow links on emails, do we?? <*<
So none of us will be affected. O0
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Thanks for that Bernard, i will stop my contribution to clogging up the internet as of now and let my defense software do their jobs. As you say Malcolm an occasional run of the malware freeware would be sensible.
regards
Mike
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Dear Mike & Malcolm,
Please be under no illusion, I am no PC buff whatsoever! I have made numerous mistakes over the years, and been caught out by a bug or two before - partic. that nasty one some six years or so ago that found it's way into all sorts of mainframe systems - Australian Geological Survey being one... all the printers on their system just started throwing out paper - the IT man who sorted out mine had to progressively delete all files to find it, but it kept migrating each time he got close to it... finally caught it in the 'barrier' between the split harddrive... couldn't go anywhere else... by which time my harddrive was done for!). However, taking all protection advice seriously since, I just do my best to be careful... mind you, that doesn't mean that it's all infallable! If something new comes along and we are unfortunate enough get it before the 'filters' know/see it, then we can be in trouble I suppose, so warning Posts such at Martins' are still valuable since at least we know something is 'about', and we can take more care until the 'filters' catch up with it. Don't know how long it takes the 'filter'/Malware people to find and deal with these things, but they must be quite quick these days.
Regards, Bernard
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Bernard,
I don't understand malware either, but I too have listened to the knowledge of others and try to take note of it. The people who are really at risk are those who know nothing and are not prepared to listen, and those who know too much, concluding that it can't happen to them.
Back in the elder days,my local repair control was being computerised. The man in charge was nicknamed "Basil", partly because of the way he walked, partly because of his startling behaviour patterns resembling those of the worlds most famous TV hotelier. To test things, he put in a request for a report, with a request to "print all", sadly, without appropriate filters. The printer decided to print out all 100,000 line records and fault histories, and would not take "no" for an answer, demanding yet more paper when it rapidly ran out. According to a witness "All you could see was miles of paper spewing out and Basils bum sticking up in the middle of it while he was on his hands and knees trying to stop it." We had office scrap paper with bits of history printed on the back for years after. You don't need a virus to create disasters - sometimes it just needs manuel presence.
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- sometimes it just needs manuel presence.
He used to come with the bumboat in Barcelona, didn't he ? %) {-)
Mike
PS found this freeware computer cleaner/ rejuvenator that seems quite good
http://www.iobit.com/advancedwindowscareper.html
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The filters have usually caught up by the time you read the posts about it - now have you got your firewall/antivirus/internet security set to auto-update in the backgound while you work, several times a day, or every time you switch on. Unless you're still in dial-up land, it makes sense, and gives that little extra peace of mind.
I agree with the sentiment that someone somewhere just wants us to waste time talking about it!!
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Dear All,
Having trialed the following two Malware antivirus/spam/gnrl.-anti-nasties PC progs. working together for apx. the last ten months and I thought others might like to know about it.
I can only state that my PC is happy to work with the following two programmes:-
AntiVir PE Premium
and,
SpyWare Doctor
I picked up on SpyWare Doctor from 'Which' - who recommended it - and I have seen/ heard good reports of it through other mediums as well. It is certainly a very comprehensive and a very good system. I have used AntiVir for nearly two years, and can say that it is very good - they auto update very regularly... at least every two or three days, and on many occasions daily (just done so now while writing this). Again, ten months running together has proved - at least on my PC - that they are compatible and run together happily.
I also use RegTool now - for the last month - this as an anti-clutter/rubbish remover and gnrl. performance 'controller', and certainly seems to be of use, get's on with the two other progs., and is not itself affected by the other progs. - I was partic. 'sold' on it by it's capability to remove unwanted Aol files (Aol has the habit of putting things on but not removing them when they superseeded and no longer needed - RegTool off loaded quite a bit of other junk, stopped unnecessary programmes running (by my command/selection), and I must say it has increased performance of things in general). SpyWare Doctor has not identified any problems with it. There is one caveat with RegTool, beware of their selling procedure... I have had cause to complain to PayPal that RegTool does not show the final amount to be paid to them, and even if you click out, the payment goes through regardless. The first PayPal operator who replied confirmed that RegTool has bypassed this/PayPal's function, so, by all means look at what it does, but I would advise to email RegTool first to get a firm £ price - their selling procedure is not as clear as it should be. Whilst saying this, the RegTool programme does seem to do what they say it does... but $37 does not equate to £37!
I hope someone might find this of use.
Regards, Bernard
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We got hit at work yesterday, check your PC!
There is a simple test available to determine if your PC is infected, please could you click on the link
below and follow the instructions, this will take less than 1 minute.
http://www.confickerworkinggroup.org/infection_test/cfeyechart.html (http://www.confickerworkinggroup.org/infection_test/cfeyechart.html)
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Thanks, Martin, I appear to be clear. However.....
I did read your message twice because it does read terribly like the kind of cons that lure you into opening a site so you then get the virus!!!!!
Roger in France
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I have got an all clear :-))
but what if you use a proxy server? (reading the very last bit) just wondering like....
R,
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Me all clear .
I had to look at your post twice also just to check it was not a con (sorry Martin O0).
daz
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Just a note, not Conficker, but some other nasty.
Day before yesterday my computer's speakers suddenly started blasting out what sounded like an American radio station. It then proceeded to flick through various stations, then disappeared - but not for long ! My first reaction, as always, was to Google the symptoms to see if I was not alone - not a vast amount of correspondence but all suggested a safe start and run virus checker. In between frantic downloading anti everything software, the machine started to jump to IExplorer (I use Firefox) and go to random advert pages for poker and the suchlike.
To cut a long story short, one of the progs I downloaded was Windows Defender which I installed while my Virus prog was still chuntering through the machine. At the end of its installation it does a quick check and found a Malware bug (I think it was W32/Renos.CNZ) almost immediately. I killed the bug and as an extra precaution did a Restore to a week earlier, touch wood all seems to be back to normal. I did take Defender back off as it seems to slow the machine down in its watchdog mode
Not sure where I had been to pick it up, I had been looking to update Thunderbird and it didn't go right at the time. I might have gone to an iffy address without checking it out ?
Just in case anyone else suddenly gets frightened out of their wits by a 'God Loves You' station suddenly blasting out. (i know he does you don't have to shout :D )
Mike