Beware of Window's Newest Virus

Windows security looks like its well on track for its worst year this decade. The latest attack hosted by Windows is a worm called Downandup, Downadup, Kido! or Conficker. All of these names refer to the same virus, and it is being delivered via infected USB drives. How does it work? This virus works by tricking you into running the virus by modifying the way "autorun" works when you plug in a drive. If you look closely at the screenshot below you can see two entries for the "Open folder to view files." The option at the top is a deceitful entry that actually installs the virus on your machine. And of course it's the default selection that pops up when you plug in a USB drive. Once it's installed, the virus spreads like wildfire due to a flaw in Windows networking system and can quickly infect a whole office.  Luckily this flaw has now been patched, so make sure that you run Windows Update if you haven't lately. How bad has the Conficker virus gotten? Estimates range from 3.5 to 9 million infected in the first four days ... and it's getting worse. By now I am estimating the numbers could top 15 to 20 million. From an antivirus standpoint, fixing the Conficker virus is not easy an easy task. The worm is particularly problematic because of the way it involves the user in installing the software, bypassing auto-installation safeguards, and its sophisticated way of avoiding detection. The virus avoids being detected by changing it's code constantly (by using randomized elements) to make traditional, signature-based detection nearly impossible. Your best strategy for avoiding the Conficker virus? Turn off AutoPlay/AutoRun on your computer. If you do see an AutoPlay dialog box like the one below, just close the window and eject the thumb-drive. By browsing the drive manually for individual files you should keep your computer uninfected, however you're best off not using the drive at all. And most importantly, make sure your system is fully patched via Windows Update. Best of luck in your combat against this deadly virus. Keep your documents safe, your thumb-drive safe, and your computer safe.