AVG (AU/NZ) on the Conficker/Downadup/Kido Worm
1 April 2009 - AVG security solutions protect you from, detect and remove the Conficker/Downadup/Kido worm.
Here at AVG (AU/NZ) we provide free telephone technical support for our customers. So we get to know real soon if something is a big issue. We just haven't had any calls from AVG users infected with the Conficker worm.
The news reports in the media have continued to proliferate. Now they're speculating as to what this new botnet might be used for. 60 Minutes in the USA even did a story on it recently.
The important thing to know is that if your PC's operating system is properly up-to-date, if your utilities (e.g. Acrobat Reader, Flash etc.) are up-to-date, and your AVG Anti-Virus or Internet Security software is properly up-to-date, there is no need to be concerned.
If you haven't run Microsoft or Windows Update recently, please do so now. Update all of your utilities as well. If you're running AVG 7.5 or 8.0, update to AVG 8.5 for free. Also make sure your malware database definitions are up-to-date. Run all of your various update options until they say there are no more updates to install.
The vulnerability in Windows that the Conficker worm takes advantage of was fixed by Microsoft in October 2008. Users of Windows XP, Vista and 7 on the latest service packs should have received and installed this update automatically.
What's fuelled the media hype about Conficker is the high profile and prominence of the organisations that have been successfully infected by Conficker. Various news organisations, hospitals, government departments, navies etc. The reason that these types of organisations have been hit, is that most of them run a locked down standard operating environment (SOE). They simply don't install and circulate updates as frequently as typical home or small business users. Thus these large organisations leave themselves exposed to known exploits for much longer. This time they have paid the price for doing so.
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