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I picked this up late last week. Here's what happened:
There was a pop up window that showed up in the lower left hand corner of the screen. It read: Windows Security Alert (If I had read the message on the screen I would have been alerted that the language was off, left out words and constructed very poorly, but I didn't. I clicked on it believing it was a MicroSoft Security Alert. Of course it was not.
Within seconds the worm had complete control over the pc, every 30 seconds more popup windows would appear telling me how infected the pc was, it also tried to sell me bogus spyware removal for $49.95 USD, of course.
I located the worm deep within the "hidden" files of the pc under "temp" files, not temporary internet files, but "temp" files. The worm was named "Fuck3.exe". I tried to remove it myself with available software, but when right-clicked for removal the worm broke up into at least 10 different files that were unidentifiable and impossible (for me) to locate.
I tried for over 24 hours to remove this thing, but it wouldn't allow any spyware/malware to complete the process.
I eventually gave up and tried to reinstall the pc OS but even it could not over ride the worm.
LSS - Had to replace the pc and am now fully(?) protected. Infected pc is sidelined and later I'll try to restore once again or replace the hard drive.
Get the fixes that John suggests and run them NOW. I also went directly to the MicroSoft site and didn't trust any of the ones that were in the update file.
Good luck.
When will the PC community learn and change to the Mac!
Stay humble my Mac compatriot! :-)
(I use OS X, FreeBSD, Linux and Windows on a daily basis)
First note said that NATO was totally compromised....
If this is legit, why wouldn't it be able to be verified?
There are reasins you switched to a Mac... this is one of them!
Have fun with your somewhat new Mac and welcome to our growing Mac community!
Drink a fine wine.
Watch the sunset.
Listen to a child laugh.
:-)
I checked to see if all the computers had the latest updates from Norton--all but one did, but I updated it. I'm sure Norton is on top of this--but can anyone tell me if there's anything else I should do? If there is, I'm a complete idiot on these things, I could use some help (a link perhaps that speaks in clear English) so I can make sure everything's safe. I looked at the info posted above, but the jargon is a bit above me, I'm afraid.
Sounds like much of the US economy doesn't it? You only get rewarded for failure. Get an Apple and forget this nonsense. There has never been a virus or worm. It's made by people that want you to have a working computer without issue. There is no virus software made for the Apple. Does that give you a hint?
And you beware of the companies that make virus protection. That is a conspiracy to make your computer fail, so you have to buy their new virus protection every other disaster.
Thanks
W32/Conficker.gen
W32/Conficker.sys
W32/Conficker.worm
W32/Conficker.worm!inf
W32/Conficker.worm!job
W32/Conficker.worm.dr
W32/Conficker.worm.gen.a
W32/Conficker.worm.gen.b
W32/Conficker.worm.gen.c
W32/Conficker.worm.gen.dconficker worm
But I don't know whether the program was just naming the different worms or I am infected. I spoke to Zone Alarms which I use and they say I am okay. They are issuing updates this afternoon and tomorrow morning, however.
Yet another case of possibly a great application but with lack of clarity. The Microsoft page you reference is even worse.
Now, there may be something to accusation of Windows being a shoddier product, and Macs having a more solid and secure OS, but the fact is that is largely *untested* in the real world. What in their right mind would want to bother to attack Macs?
I like Macs and work on PCs. Each has advantages and disadvantages. I can't afford Macs for my business, a big negative, and when a Mac crashes (which admittedly is rare, but it happens) and the sh*t hits the fan you canNOT get under that hood, you have to take it to the expensive Mac store. When my PC does something loopy, I can usually fix it myself, or else my husband can. On the other hand, the popularity of PCs means more viruses and spyware, and the software requires far too much patching than is strictly good for it. And MS office products are too expensive and bloatware.
Stop thinking that your computer is a personal lifestyle choice. It's a tool, and you pick the right tool for the right job. If you start taking these things personally, you're basically a fool for falling for the clever marking ploys of both companies. I'd rather not be brainwashed.
As for me, I so rarely have virus troubles on my PC - and NOT for lack of internet surfing. I keep my free virus ware very updated, patch immediately when I need to, and have sane but not overly restrictive firewalls. Anyone who tells you the virus software companies are committing conspiracy to sell you their product is crazy. I use and recommend AVG but honestly, the hackers are out there every day creating viruses and the scanner software people are out there every day looking for ways to stop them. I'm not saying they aren't out to make money but for heaven's sake people.
When I get around my Mac friends, long time, old friends, I often wonder why they didn't just become Scientologists or something.
That was in 1986 when it took a special long-TORX driver to get in to one. And even then I've taken my Mac Plus apart to re-solder the main harness junction blocks. It still works like new, running System 6.0.8.
I have several Apple laptops, the top-of-the-line models 1999, 2001, 2005 and 2007. Aside from the 2007, I completely take them apart whenever I need to, I've replaced hard drives, installed custom wireless antennas, even replaced the LCD screen. And by learning UNIX, I can completely control my computer's software.
So what the heck are you talking about?
Nice to know I'm a good cookie ;) I prefer to think of myself as a ThinMint.
I haven't had my Peanut Butter Patty fix, or whatever they are calling them now.
I use a Mac because I use my computer to make my living. I can't afford to have my OS second guess me every two minutes, or go down with a virus, or needing the hard drive wiped and everything re-installed every so often. My computer just works.
I suppose I'm not surprised since neither Leslie Stahl nor the Symantec guy bothered to note that Mac OS X and Linux are unaffected. Windows spokesmen, if they do, usually make the limp claim that other operating systems aren't targeted because they don't have the market share---yeah, FUD you.
The bar is pretty low for MS Windows users....you wouldn't know how low unless you normally used Linux or Mac OS X.
Give it a rest, people.
Please help. And thanks in advance.
"This type of file can harm your computer. Are you sure you want to download Stinger_Coficker.exe?"
Yes, "Coficker" not "conficker" as your link says.
Was I redirected away from the 'good' site?
Edit: Never mind. I went to the McAfee site and I think, I HOPE I'm okay.
http://ubuntu-gr.org/
It's Y2K on a yearly basis now, with the same impact, only on a different date.
Honestly, the change in daylight savings time was a bigger problem for IT than these infamous yearly April Fools Worms of Death or Y2K
I wonder how much Bill Gates lost in the markets last year. Couldn't have been enough . . .
And they are subject to viruses (even though I admit they aren't targeted as much).
Being a true believer is not necessarily a bad thing, but being delusional is. I find most Mac people to be the latter, sorry to say. You won't ever hear me singing the praises of Windows bigtime, and I had originally switched to a Mac in the hope that I wouldn't come downstairs every day to find a new toolbar installed overnight on my PC by someone I didn't know. But I don't like the Mac way of displaying files, I don't like how hard and expensive it is to diagnose and fix problems, I don't like that when I needed repairs I had to make an appointment online to see one of their "geniuses" or whatever the hell they call them but the web site for my local store would not ever let you make the bloody appointment, and I don't like the power cable that had a sheath that would, over time, always break apart at a cost of $80 a pop. I could go on, but it's bringing back bad memories and at the end of the day, it wasn't worth the time and money. When it broke, I said, "Don't fix it."
"I can fix anything on my Windows machine myself (because he's spent countless hours doing so in the past and is now an 'expert') so these minor inconveniences are no problem."
If you don't mind going 'board level' with your computer, this is an option. For me, I got tired of wasting my time tinkering with computers. I didn't want to change O/S. I would really have preferred not to have HAD to switch, but I was forced to.
It's kinda like when I first smoked pot. All the institutional lies (Microsoft) about the merits of sobriety and the dangers and costs of the unknown (Mac) sorta melted away and I got the munchies for my Mac.
Enjoy.
1) Adjust the date on your operating system back a couple of days, until you here the cost is clear - then move the date forward, skipping April 1 altogether.
2) Unplug your network connection so it can't call out.
Just thoughs.
“Stop thinking that your computer is a personal lifestyle choice. It's a tool, and you pick the right tool for the right job. If you start taking these things personally, you're basically a fool for falling for the clever marking ploys of both companies. I'd rather not be brainwashed.”
As a died-in-the-wool Mac user, I couldn’t agree more. A computer is a tool. Period. I happen to like this particular tool better than the alternative, but it’s a tool just the same. Not a religion; a tool.
To be fair, though, most Mac users I know feel the same way. We’re really not a cult, I swear!
That's why I use Linux. I want to laugh every time I hear about these virus threats, until I realize my money is held by financial institutions who continue to use Microsoft products because it's "industry standard."
http://www.viruslist.com/en/analysis?pubid=1919...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=...
Register.com has been "under attack" for the last three days -- meaning small and medium sized business owners like myself are losing money hand over fist.
When I first called their customer service center and was kept on the phone for more than two hours on April 1st, I was offered $10 (!!!) to compensate for what I originally believed was a $1,200/day loss of business.
When it happened again the following day I got madder than mad and hunted down the CEO, Larry Kutcher at their New York City headquarters. The call was taken by his assistant, Sandy, who told me verbatim: "I am not going to lie to you. We are under attack." She then put my call through to Mr. Kutcher's voicemail.
To his credit, Mr. Kutcher returned my call, however, did not speak with me directly. No mention was made by him on the message he left to indicate that his company was going to compensate me for my loses...let alone for the thousands of small to medium sized companies that have also been impacted by this fiasco.
Register's latest advertising push has been geared to customers like myself. People who own their businesses and rely on their websites for sales. During this difficult economic time, my business is geared at helping people save money. Not only have I been impacted as a small business owner, but potential clients who look to my money saving services such as purchasing landlord data (Landlord Links: (kirbysommers.com) or cheap movie tickets (MovieStub.net) are also on the losing end.
I called Mr. Kutcher again today and once again got Sandy on the line. Once again, she told me they were "under attack". She further claimed their CTO is "on it." Once again my call was forwarded to Larry Kutcher's voicemail. Once again I left my complaint. My businesses, my good name, the reputation I have spent a lifetime building is taken a huge blow. I may very well be put out of business by the very people who promised "100% commitment because 99% isn't enough".
_____________
Mathew Farney - Web Hosting