April 1 Worm

[Parrothead]

I have a questions about this worm. If we stay off the internet on April 1st, and then get on the internet on April 2, would we be safe?
Happy trails..............................

[itaves]

For some answers on the Conficker worm...click on this site:

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/132...cmtwwlYlTZn414

Recommendation:
"As a final safety note, all users -- whether they're worried about an infection or know for sure they're clean -- are also wise to make a full data backup today."

"What won't work? Turning your PC off tonight and back on on April 2 will not protect you from the worm (sorry to the dozens of people who wrote me asking if this would do the trick). Temporarily disconnecting your computer from the web won't help if the malware is already on your machine -- it will simply activate once you connect again. Changing the date on your PC will likely have no helpful effect, either."

[Glenn and Lorraine]

Anyone remember back to Y2K??
Everyone and I do mean everyone, that owned a computer was warned that their 'puters will no longer work once 2000 arrived. Huge corporations spent millions and millions to get their "puters reprogrammed only to find the whole Y2K thing was bogus. The computer geeks that started that whole Y2K thing had everyone in a panic and after it was all said and done these same geeks made millions unnecessarily reprogramming many many thousands of 'puters.

Is this just another bogus virus? I feel it is and I'll take my chances. I ain't shutting down and if it does turn out to be the real thing guess I'll be buying a new 'puter.

As far as backing up your stuff? All I can say is anyone that does not backup their important files every night is a year around fool and not just April 1st.

[Waynem]

Well, let's give some thought here. Viruses area nuisance, to say the least. Having worked for NASA in computer security for over 12 years, I have never found a virus that was "advertised" ahead of deliver to be very active, or even threatening. If I were a virus programmer i would want the element of surprise to spread my deed, then take credit for it. Buy advertising that on such and such a date a virus is going to activate gives the companies that protect against viruses to come up with a protection. I would not be surprised if viruses were written for virus protection companies. However, I would never be without virus protection or a firewall. To be without is just asking for disaster.

Oh, the news today broadcast that there has not been much activity regarding the Conficker virus. Go figure.

[Ozzie]

Reading around I found this little tidbit:

You can download windows xpKB958644x86ENU security update. This is supposed to be the patch that closes the holes confiker needs.
Also try windows malicious software removal tool KB890830-v2.8 - it is self extracting and easy to use, I believe this tool knows what the conficker looks like. Both can be found at the Microsoft web site or just use your search engine to find them.

There is Mcafee AVERT Stinger Conficker removal, Sophos has a Conficker cleanup tool, and Pctools also has a removal tool.

[Ozzie]

Now there is a guide that ZDNet put out:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=4053&tag=nl.e539

[BB_TX]

If you have not already, make sure your windows automatic update feature is enabled and it will update itself anytime a new update is available. That way, you will always be up to date on any windows fixes.
Also make sure your virus protection software has automatic updating enabled so that it is always current.

[Parrothead]

I downloaded the Microsoft tool and it did not find any worms last night. Ran it again this morning, same. I have firewall on. From the news this morning, it does not appear to have done much.
Happy trails...................

[bsmeaton]

quote:Originally posted by Glenn and Lorraine

As far as backing up your stuff? All I can say is anyone that does not backup their important files every night is a year around fool and not just April 1st.

You have such a condescending way of putting things Glenn -

In reality, your back up frequency is only as good as your frequency of discovery. If you have important data you only access infrequently, then your chance of discovering a problem on the very day it occurs is low. If you back up daily, chances are high you will back up the problem before you ever get a chance to discover it, and now you've ruined your host file as well as the backup file. Who is the actual fool now?

Business data is usually backed up daily onto large media backup systems that let you keep every back up set individually and separate. If you find an error, you can go back to any day or even hour that you choose - so you can recover data right before the problem occurred. Data is not overwritten. However, rarely would a "home user" have that capability. For a home user a weekly or even monthly backup is probably more realistic.

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

I hope I am not stepping into a snakes pit here, sighhh

I think it depends on how you back up your data files.

First, I am not talking about mirror images of your complete system, just the data files created when I do photos, word processing files, spread sheets, that sorta thing.

I back up the data on my main family data base frequently, actually, the program has a nice little utility on shut down, offers me the chance to back up the file into a nice little zip file. Will save to the same directory on my hard drive each time. Pretty easy, quick and gentle reminders, nice stuff.

When I do back ups of data from the hard drive to MyBook, or storage place of choice, we all know there are many wonderful choices, including online, I do NOT overwrite my old backups. I have back ups of files from so far back I cannot even remember, but know they go back further than 1999. I do not destroy the old files, I save em.

A couple of years ago, I did one of those really stupid things we all do to our data, I made a change and well, wiped out well over 300 sources on my family history data base. For someone that is into sourcing, this was next to a catastrophic happening.

I had done a back up of the data base just a couple of days prior. I was able to retrieve the backup, install on one computer, used it to refer to and 4 months later, had all the corrections done on the other computer. It took that long to fix it all. I did not want to restore the backup and move on, because I had done other changes to the data base, LOTS of adding of new people, new names, new facts, new photos. I was not in the mood to try and recreate all that. It was easier to just correct the sourcing deletion. It also gave me a great opportunity to do a major overhaul of the way my sources were compiled, a silver lining as it were.

Nope, I never OVERWRITE data files, make backups yes, but, never overwrite.

Well, hope that is about as clear as mud. SIGH

Not intending to insult or upset anyone.

[Glenn and Lorraine]

quote:Originally posted by bsmeaton

If you back up daily, chances are high you will back up the problem before you ever get a chance to discover it, and now you've ruined your host file as well as the backup file. Who is the actual fool now?

For a home user a weekly or even monthly backup is probably more realistic.

Well I'll leave that for others to decide.
When we do a back up we do it file by file and not the entire Operating System. If for any reason we find a problem with the system itself we are home free as our personal data will not be affected. Clean up or replace the OS and we are back in business.
We have been online since back in 93. We have seen more virus', than most people could imagine, come and go and to this date have only been infected once and that was back when "Happy Holiday" was supposed to be so terrible. YES we did get it and got rid of it within less than a half hour.

[deadeye]

Sounds like the 2000 meltdown to me. I guess I'll take my chances as always....JB

[Parrothead]

Like Carol I back up important files - some programs do it automatically. I've been on line from the beginning for home computers (89-90????) and only once had a virus. Was on a disc someone gave me. I back up to CD or portable HD. I also transfer a lot of files (financial, genealogy, pictures) to the laptop so it is almost a mirror of my desktop. Working where there is an automatic backup every night does kind of spoil you for thinking of it yourself on your home computer.
Happy trails..................

[Waynem]

I'm using the iMac tonight.
Is it immune? Sigh! Yes, it is.

The laptop, well that's a different story, but it has a firewall, and anti-virus software. I cannot remember the last time I had a virus, but it was back in the days when we put everything on 5-1/4 inch floppy disks.

My point. Keep a good firewall and anti-virus software on your computer and keep it updated with automatic updates. You will "probably" never have a problem.

[c5racer]

Think the birds got to the worm, was a no show.

[HamRad]

Waynem,
It is difficult to tell from your message as to whether you are having trouble with your PC or not. The Mac sounds safe. I have had no problems with mine. We do not run a PC so don't know what is like in that world anymore.

So do you have trouble with the dreaded virus on your PC or not?

HamRad

[OntMont]

You have to remember that the reason Y2K did not cause havoc is because the risk was recognized and corrective measures were taken. Same with this worm, a lot of effort was put into neutralizing it, but it is still out there, April 1 was only the start date, it can be used by its controllers at any time, probably after the heat is off and people have let down their guard. Just because something did not happen, does not mean there never was a risk. That would be like getting vaccinated against flu, and then complaining because the flu epidemic did not occur.

[Waynem]

Dennis,
I should have worded that a little differently I guess. No, I am not having problems with my PC's.

John,
The risk is always there. That adage that, "It can't happen to me!" does not hold true, as IT COULD. Some risks are: Viewing web pages; Downloading software from the internet; reading email without attachments (Use Preview Pane reduces this risk considerably*** Reading email attachments (Very high); Running executable files from unknown sources. (Don't forget that you don't know where your friend got the file.)

***In MS Outlook, set your security zone to restricted sites will reduce your risk.

From NIST web site:
"Risk is the net negative impact of the exercise of a vulnerability, considering both the probability and the impact of occurrence. Risk management is the process of identifying risk, assessing risk,
and taking steps to reduce risk to an acceptable level."

That is what we all did with the Confiker Worm. We identified it, we assessed it, and we all took steps in reducing it to an acceptable level, thereby reducing the threat.

Here is a link to some computer threat terms.

Risk and threat are two different entities. Reducing the risk may remove the threat.