Windows PC Worm Set to Activate on April 1st

Science • Views: 9,614

If you’re using a Windows PC, it would be a very good idea to make sure your anti-virus software is up to date, because the “Conficker” worm is preparing to do … something … on April 1st. This article is skeptical about the danger, but since no one really knows the purpose of this malware you’d be foolish not to make sure you’re protected: April Fool’s Conficker Threat is Likely Hype.

There’s a relatively simple check to see if you’re infected with Conficker: Point your browser towards f-secure.com, secureworks.com, microsoft.com or other security sites. If you get a “page cannot be displayed” error for all the sites, there’s a good chance they’re blocked by Conficker or similar malware on your PC.

If that happens to you, you’d also be blocked from normally downloading free Conficker removal tools. But you can get around the malware blocks by using a Web proxy or alternate download links, according to Stewart. Here are some links:

Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool

F-Secure removal utility

McAfee’s removal tool

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101 comments
1 jdog29  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:36:23pm

That's my favorite holiday. My wife once acted like she was pregnant again when one of our children had been born the previous August. I was like President Obama off teleprompter, "uh, uh, uh, uh, uh,"

2 MandyManners  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:36:26pm

SHOOT YER COMPUTER.

3 Digital Display  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:36:57pm

Here is my favorite free tool..Free updates also
[Link: www.malwaree.org...]

4 LGoPs  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:37:36pm

Thanks for the heads-up Charles. Maybe a hoax but best to be alert.
Be a Lert. This country needs more lerts..........
:)

5 MandyManners  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:39:09pm

re: #4 LGoPs

Thanks for the heads-up Charles. Maybe a hoax but best to be alert.
Be a Lert. This country needs more lerts..........
:)

Be a dult. This country needs more dults.

6 LGoPs  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:39:44pm

re: #5 MandyManners

Be a dult. This country needs more dults.

Just don't be a loof........

7 Dianna  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:39:55pm

Thanks, Charles.

I'll check that on both my machine and my boss' machine on Monday.

I'd really hate to pooh-pooh something, and have it turn out to be true. I doubt this will take more than a minute or two to check out.

8 Digital Display  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:40:02pm

It wouldn't surprise me if the virus makes Obama's web site the homepage
of your browser..

9 Macker  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:40:19pm

re: #5 MandyManners

sic?

10 pre-Boomer Marine brat  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:41:10pm

Thanks very much for the heads-up Charles.

/stay up to date here, but am still wary

11 Charles Johnson  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:41:37pm

re: #4 LGoPs

Thanks for the heads-up Charles. Maybe a hoax but best to be alert.
Be a Lert. This country needs more lerts..........
:)

It's definitely not a hoax - the worm is very real, and it really is planning a major move on April 1st. What's uncertain is how much damage it's actually planning to do.

12 Abu Lahab  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:42:06pm

Customer: I'm running Windows
Tech: Yes.
Customer: My computer isn't working properly now.
Tech: Yes, you said that.

13 LGoPs  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:42:14pm

re: #11 Charles

It's definitely not a hoax - the worm is very real, and it really is planning a major move on April 1st. What's uncertain is how much damage it's actually planning to do.

Got it. Thanks for the clarification.

14 MandyManners  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:43:15pm

re: #6 LGoPs

Just don't be a loof........

I'd love to be a broad.

15 Dianna  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:43:37pm

I see the McAfee site is listed. I wonder if they sent the protection out as one of their updates? I'll have to check.

16 MandyManners  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:43:43pm

re: #9 Macker

sic?

No, I'm quite well. How are you?

17 LGoPs  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:44:15pm

re: #14 MandyManners

I'd love to be a broad.

I'd like to stay a breast..........
*that doesn't sound quite right....but, what the hell*

18 MandyManners  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:44:34pm

re: #11 Charles

It's definitely not a hoax - the worm is very real, and it really is planning a major move on April 1st. What's uncertain is how much damage it's actually planning to do.

Can it infect a computer that belongs to a no one?

19 Digital Display  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:44:47pm

re: #15 Dianna

I see the McAfee site is listed. I wonder if they sent the protection out as one of their updates? I'll have to check.

Yes they did..

20 pre-Boomer Marine brat  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:45:35pm

In the early 90's, I worked with a EE who lost his hard drive to Michelangelo -- one of the most thoroughly pre-publicized viruses ever.

/idiot

21 LGoPs  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:46:07pm

re: #14 MandyManners

I'd love to be a broad.

Does that mean you are going a weigh?

22 MandyManners  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:47:09pm

I've read it several times but I still am not sure what it means.

If I'm not already infected, nothing will happen. If I am infected, it'll try to update itself on 4/1.

Right?

I have Norton.

23 coloradobuff  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:47:25pm

Thanks very much for the heads-up, Charles.

24 pre-Boomer Marine brat  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:47:33pm

re: #21 LGoPs

Does that mean you are going a weigh?

What do her scales say?

25 Dianna  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:47:40pm

re: #19 HoosierHoops

Yes they did..

Good. I'm still going to check the work machines on Monday, though. It would be embarrassing to miss it and have something bad happen on April Fools'.

26 MandyManners  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:48:02pm

re: #17 LGoPs

I'd like to stay a breast..........
*that doesn't sound quite right....but, what the hell*

I bet you'd like to stay a top.

28 CyanSnowHawk  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:49:04pm

re: #11 Charles

It's definitely not a hoax - the worm is very real, and it really is planning a major move on April 1st. What's uncertain is how much damage it's actually planning to do.

Or even if it will do any damage, but it certainly is going to do something on 4/1. IIRC, it's set to reach out for instructions to an unprecedented number of sites.

29 Dianna  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:49:31pm

re: #27 Killian Bundy

Good advice. And even non-technical types - like me - can follow it.

30 MandyManners  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:50:02pm

Why is this happening?

31 unrealizedviewpoint  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:50:05pm

I wonder whether I'm safe using Time Warner Cable's provided Computer Associates Anti-Virus software. I've never really felt protected. Feels like an outdated condom.

32 LGoPs  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:51:18pm

re: #26 MandyManners

I bet you'd like to stay a top.

Big time.......
:)

33 Macker  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:51:30pm

re: #31 unrealizedviewpoint

I wonder whether I'm safe using Time Warner Cable's provided Computer Associates Anti-Virus software. I've never really felt protected. Feels like an outdated condom.

Or a sub-quality rubber from China, perhaps?

34 jorline  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:52:19pm

re: #30 MandyManners

Why is this happening?

New "Share The Wealth Worm" policy of the land.

35 Killian Bundy  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:52:24pm

re: #30 MandyManners

Why is this happening?

/criminal activity or they're just bored

36 pre-Boomer Marine brat  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:53:58pm

This a damned good excuse to fire up the laptop and update it.

bbl

37 Athos  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:54:30pm

Threats to computer systems are very common. Just as most of us will not hesitate to invest in preventative maintenance in our cars - regular oil changes / service according to the recommended intervals - we need to invest in performing regular updates and maintenance on our computers at home and at work.

Regarding 'Conficker' - this worm is designed to exploit something that should have been patched almost 6 months ago. The problem is that many people and most companies do not have a regular review, testing, and implementation program to deploy patches from the primary OS and application providers. It will be interesting to see the impact / payload of this as it moves from east to west. (In 2003, many corporate systems were impacted by another worm that exploited something that should have been patched. The company I was with at the time had major problems in the Far East because of lax maintenance and security.)

Just to add some more computer related scares - Vast Spy System Loots Computers in 103 Countries

Of course, this opens other questions - is this just eco or cyber-terrorism or vandalism or when does constitute an act of war?

38 Sosigado  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:54:48pm

If this threat ends up having any teeth, it will be interesting to see what businesses get hit, despite the advance warnings.

39 Killian Bundy  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:55:58pm

re: #31 unrealizedviewpoint

I wonder whether I'm safe using Time Warner Cable's provided Computer Associates Anti-Virus software. I've never really felt protected. Feels like an outdated condom.

/you need a firewall too, Zone Alarm works

40 Athos  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:57:04pm

re: #38 Sosigado

If this threat ends up having any teeth, it will be interesting to see what businesses get hit, despite the advance warnings.

The most likely victims will be the ones that do not have a set process to update their computers with the most recent patches and security fixes. Sometimes, the larger companies are the worst in terms of doing these processes because they lack the time and investment to adequately check the patches (yes, they can sometimes cause more problems than they fix) against their production environments or distribute across the enterprise.

41 MrPaulRevere  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:57:10pm

I am already getting 'the page cannot be found' message when I click on the microsoft site. Does it work for anyone else? I despise people who create havoc on the internet.

42 NelsFree  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:57:32pm

re: #26 MandyManners

I bet you'd like to stay a top.

I think one of you might be a wry.

43 jorline  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:57:53pm

Cooties of the computer age...does "Kings X's count?

Thanks for the tips Charles.

44 LGoPs  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:58:51pm

This just illustrates the irony that the more advanced we become technologically, the more vulnerable we become to age old human sins like malice and envy and plain old thievery.

45 NelsFree  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:59:05pm

re: #35 Killian Bundy

/criminal activity or they're just bored

If I want to feel board, I go to Home Depot.

46 livefreeor die  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:59:13pm

Thanks for the information about how to check for it and where to get patches against it. Much appreciated in our household with four people using computers.

47 LGoPs  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 12:59:39pm

re: #41 MrPaulRevere

I am already getting 'the page cannot be found' message when I click on the microsoft site. Does it work for anyone else? I despise people who create havoc on the internet.

I checked and I was ok on those sites........

48 unrealizedviewpoint  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:00:24pm

re: #39 Killian Bundy

/you need a firewall too, Zone Alarm works

Thanks!
I'm familiar with ZA. It's wonderful. Actually CA's Firewall is seemingly darn good. But what do I know?

49 Athos  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:00:37pm

re: #39 Killian Bundy

/you need a firewall too, Zone Alarm works

Yes, do not depend on the Windows firewall in either XP or Vista. It is inadequate for the task and Windows Defender is only a basic anti-spyware application. I am currently a fan of the latest (2009) version of Norton Internet Security as it offers very strong protection but does so at with a far smaller resource and system footprint than many other packages working equally well on XP as on Vista.

50 MrPaulRevere  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:00:52pm

re: #47 LGoPs

Damn, that must mean I'm infected already.

51 LGoPs  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:01:01pm

re: #45 NelsFree

If I want to feel board, I go to Home Depot.

Only if they wood they let you.......

52 Gus  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:01:26pm

If you're running Windows always make sure you security updates are current.

Make sure you have the following update installed:

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-067 – Critical
Vulnerability in Server Service Could Allow Remote Code Execution (958644)

Choose your "Operating System" under the "Affected Software" schedule in the middle of the page.

53 LGoPs  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:01:36pm

re: #50 MrPaulRevere

Damn, that must mean I'm infected already.

Hope you can clear it out.

54 Athos  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:02:10pm

re: #41 MrPaulRevere

I am already getting 'the page cannot be found' message when I click on the microsoft site. Does it work for anyone else? I despise people who create havoc on the internet.

I am able to load / access microsoft's site. I recommend downloading and running one of the removal tools that Charles included in the initial post.

55 LGoPs  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:02:28pm

re: #51 LGoPs

Only if they wood they let you.......

Does PIMF correct for incoherence? Apparently not. Sheesh.

56 MrPaulRevere  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:02:40pm

re: #54 Athos

I will, thanks!

57 pat  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:03:13pm

Charles, thanks. I was infected and now am clean.

58 J.S.  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:03:46pm

re: #41 MrPaulRevere

That link isn't working for me either...(somewhat Off Topic, i would like to say that I really appreciate my Internet Provider which does all the anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, etc., stuff -- It's all taken care of by the Internet Provider -- when you sign up, you can get, for free, their security suite (and then everything is updated automatically, goes on in the background, and the user need not worry about installing updates, buying software, etc. The user just has to do a scan once a week or so)...

59 pat  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:04:02pm

re: #41 MrPaulRevere

I am already getting 'the page cannot be found' message when I click on the microsoft site. Does it work for anyone else? I despise people who create havoc on the internet.

I got it too, so I went to the next one, which worked.

60 Opinionated  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:05:17pm

Why worry.

Could it possibly be more destructive then the outcome last Nov 4th?

61 CyanSnowHawk  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:06:05pm

re: #57 pat

Charles, thanks. I was infected and now am clean.

Not quite Amazing Grace, but still a good thing.

62 Grantman  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:07:28pm

See the advantages of Macs? Still vulnerable to viruses but so few have been written for them that it's pretty much a non-issue.

63 pat  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:07:47pm

re: #61 CyanSnowHawk

heh,heh

64 NY Nana  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:09:00pm

re: #41 MrPaulRevere

Same here. I get

[Link: mscom-dlcecn.vo.llnwd.net...]

And 'The page cannot be found'.

65 NY Nana  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:09:51pm

re: #57 pat

Charles, thanks. I was infected and now am clean.

/And your vision has improved?

66 Gus  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:11:04pm

re: #64 NY Nana

Same here. I get

And 'The page cannot be found'.

I think it's an error in the hyperlink.

Use this link:

Microsoft® Windows® Malicious Software Removal Tool (KB890830)

68 Athos  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:18:43pm

re: #62 Grantman

See the advantages of Macs? Still vulnerable to viruses but so few have been written for them that it's pretty much a non-issue.

True, but that is a reflection of the market share of Macs. Many of the intrusions are designed / intended to capture information or use of the systems in botnet's - identity theft is a big deal. If one is going to go after a particular OS - it's far more lucrative to go after 85% of the market than 10% of the market.

69 NY Nana  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:24:24pm

re: #66 Gus 802

Thank you so much! I can now stop hyperventilating.

70 Killian Bundy  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:26:13pm

re: #62 Grantman

See the advantages of Macs? Still vulnerable to viruses but so few have been written for them that it's pretty much a non-issue.

/yeah, get back to me when Macs run WordPerfect or top games without needing to run a Windows partition

71 Gus  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:27:18pm

re: #69 NY Nana

Thank you so much! I can now stop hyperventilating.

You're welcome. While you're at it make sure you have the latest security updates from MS.

72 NY Nana  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:30:00pm

re: #71 Gus 802

You're welcome. While you're at it make sure you have the latest security updates from MS.

At least I have that already set. ;)

73 UberInfidel67  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:40:57pm

Sounds like the problem with my downstairs computer!

74 wiffersnapper  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 1:58:04pm

Thank goodness for AVG.

75 Emerald  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 2:04:16pm

Microsoft has a ton of flaws in its software when it comes to security, but a lot of this crap gets out there because people are stupid. Basic computer security isn't hard to grasp, and there are free anti-virus scanners.

The next person who comes up to me and says that their computer isn't working properly after they opened an email attachment from someone they don't know...

76 itellu3times  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 2:06:13pm

re: #41 MrPaulRevere

I am already getting 'the page cannot be found' message when I click on the microsoft site. Does it work for anyone else? I despise people who create havoc on the internet.

Same here.

77 Bob Dillon  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 2:09:53pm

More on it....

[Link: tech.yahoo.com...]

In an event that hits the computer world only once every few years, security experts are racing against time to mitigate the impact of a bit of malware which is set to wreak havoc on a hard-coded date. As is often the case, that date is April 1.

Malware creators love to target April Fool's Day with their wares, and the latest worm, called Conficker C, could be one of the most damaging attacks we've seen in years.

Conficker first bubbled up in late 2008 and began making headlines in January as known infections topped 9 million computers. Now in its third variant, Conficker C, the worm has grown incredibly complicated, powerful, and virulent... though no one is quite sure exactly what it will do when D-Day arrives.

Thanks in part to a quarter-million-dollar bounty on the head of the writer of the worm, offered by Microsoft, security researchers are aggressively digging into the worm's code as they attempt to engineer a cure or find the writer before the deadline. What's known so far is that on April 1, all infected computers will come under the control of a master machine located somewhere across the web, at which point anything's possible. Will the zombie machines become denial of service attack pawns, steal personal information, wipe hard drives, or simply manifest more traditional malware pop-ups and extortion-like come-ons designed to sell you phony security software? No one knows.

Conficker is clever in the way it hides its tracks because it uses an enormous number of URLs to communicate with HQ. The first version of Conficker used just 250 addresses each day -- which security researchers and ICANN simply bought and/or disabled -- but Conficker C will up the ante to 50,000 addresses a day when it goes active, a number which simply can't be tracked and disabled by hand.

At this point, you should be extra vigilant about protecting your PC: Patch Windows completely through Windows Update and update your anti-malware software as well. Make sure your antivirus software is actually running too, as Conficker may have disabled it.

Microsoft also offers a free online safety scan here, which should be able to detect all Conficker versions.

[BTW the MS Scan only works with Vista]

78 sngnsgt  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 2:26:25pm

Superantispyware is as simple as right-click, delete virus or mal-ware for me, free too.

79 rockmanvermont  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 2:29:30pm

This virus will probably cause me to post "First" at the begging of every open thread and cause my account to get deleted.Vicious it will be,where will I get rational though?(or the ability to agree with it)

80 tedzilla99  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 2:38:23pm

re: #76 itellu3times

Same here.

It's a bad link

81 tedzilla99  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 2:39:22pm

AVG is free and works better than Norton or McAfee: [Link: www.avg.com...]

82 sngnsgt  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 2:45:20pm

re: #81 tedzilla99

+1 for AVG.

83 jimzinsocal  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 2:55:10pm
84 abolitionist  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 2:59:08pm

re: #75 Emerald

According to reports I read, Conflicker isn't spread by email, altho that's not mentioned here:

Conficker.C's payload makes it harder than ever to recover from being infected:

• Deactivates Windows Security Center notifications
• Prevents restart in Safe Mode
• Prevents Windows Defender from running at system startup
• Deletes all system restore points
• Disables various error-reporting and security services
• Terminates over twenty security-related processes
• Blocks DNS queries
• Blocks access to security and antivirus websites
• And, to top it all off, Conficker.C can choose from a list of 500 domains to contact out of a pool of 50,000 (way up from Conficker.B's 32 out of 250).

[Link: www.dslreports.com...]

85 abolitionist  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 3:01:03pm

re: #81 tedzilla99

AVG is free and works better than Norton or McAfee: [Link: www.avg.com...]

Agree, but both Norton & McAfee are notoriously hard for novices to uninstall, and not so easy for experts. You don't want more than one AV of the sort that provides active protection (real-time interception of executables) installed and active at the same time.

Some AV packages are intended for manual scanning only, and there's usually no problem with those. You can have more than one of those, along with exactly ONE (or none) that provides active protection.

Window Defender provides for manual scanning, and scanning by a schedule. By default it provides active protection, but this is an option that can be turned off. Configured that way, it need not be uninstalled in order to avoid conflicts with other AV that provides active protection.

86 abolitionist  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 3:19:03pm

re: #84 abolitionist

pimf - Conficker

87 Emerald  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 3:41:42pm

re: #84 abolitionist

True, but I was ranting in general terms. A good deal of malware can be traced directly to user fault.

88 Clutch  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 4:01:16pm

Just in case, here is a link to the Norton trialware page. Full featured, so if you are running older AV, get something that is current. (I recommend the Internet Security 2009 package, it is what I run on my machines.)

Here is an additional link to the Removal Tools page.

Full disclosure, I work for Symantec on the Enterprise software side of the house, so while I would love nothing more than for people to buy the Norton product, I don't care if you just use it for the trial period and then get something free (hopefully, you like it enough to buy it). As far as complaints that Norton has been buggy, slow and a resource hog (all true in previous releases) the quality has dramatically improved in the last few releases, since we have taken a lot of the Enterprise AV features and put them into the Norton AV line. The biggest problems we used to have were with upgrades, but that is largely a thing of the past. But if you have been using Norton products for a while, you could have some leftover crud that needs the Norton Removal Tool to get rid of.

89 Etaoin Shrdlu  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 4:02:42pm

If you must run Windows, but don't want to pay for anti-virus software and keep paying for updates, ClamAV is free – not just a trial, but permanently, including updates.

Using outdated anti-virus software is worse than useless. It won't detect new malware, it will only give you a false sense of security.

90 reine.de.tout  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 4:06:05pm

re: #3 HoosierHoops

Here is my favorite free tool..Free updates also
[Link: www.malwaree.org...]

Hoosier.
Spybot doesn't let me install this.
Is it OK to install?

91 Timbre  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 4:15:38pm

I used the MMSRT just about two hours ago. It was doing a full scan and everything was fine. Then at about 297,000 files checked, it displayed a blue kernal error notice and told me to shut the computer down. I've spent the past two hours just getting back to here. I also bought the PCBugFinder 2009 which found "65" errors and corrected none of them. Every time I run the program, it finds "65" errors. Stupid operator...

92 abolitionist  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 4:30:09pm

re: #90 reine.de.tout

Hoosier.
Spybot doesn't let me install this.
Is it OK to install?

Not asked directly, but I've had no problems running MalwareBytes along with SpyBot S&D installed under Vista64. However,the TeaTimer feature is enabled by default, and I always turn that off. It's a form of real-time protection for the registry, I think.

93 tradewind  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 4:39:26pm

There's always a freakin' Windows attack set for April 1st, real or imagined.
Update your antivirus if you must, or sleep at night and get a Mac.....

94 tradewind  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 4:40:14pm

re: #89 Etaoin Shrdlu

My sons uses AVG Free... it performs well also.

95 General Nimrod Bodfish  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 6:12:10pm

re: #39 Killian Bundy

I downloaded and installed Zone Alarm, but when I had it up an running, I couldn't do anything on the internet, nor was I able to restart/shut down. I had to uninstall it just to be able to use the internet. It pissed me off real bad when I couldn't even restart the damn computer, I had to shut it down inproperly (press and hold the power button at the front of the PC). Any idea what could be wrong with it?

96 sffilk  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 7:27:03pm

I ended up manually downloading the Microsoft tool's latest version because I got the "page not found" notice. It's running now. I may just keep the system off on Wednesday. I'm doing a full system scan.

97 sffilk  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 7:31:44pm

re: #77 Bobibutu

From what I heard on 60 Minutes tonight, it appears that it MIGHT be coming out of Russia which, evidently, is where a lot of other virii came from as well?

98 sffilk  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 7:33:14pm

re: #81 tedzilla99

I recently had trouble with AVG due to the fact that it kept wanting to reboot after I updated the software 6 times in 10 minutes. I finally had to delete it completely. That being said, I'm also using Ad Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy, and Spyware Blaster.

99 UncleSam  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 8:29:00pm

avast! is a really good free-for-home-use anti-virus suite. (The exclamation point is part of the name, not a typo, and "avast!" is spelled with a small "a.")
A friend of mine who custom builds and repairs computers swears by it, much preferring it to anything else, and installs in on the computers he builds.
He's a guy who reads 800 page tech manuals just for fun.

I use it and have found it to be very effective.

[Link: www.avast.com...]

100 tedzilla99  Sun, Mar 29, 2009 9:02:51pm

re: #98 sffilk

I recently had trouble with AVG due to the fact that it kept wanting to reboot after I updated the software 6 times in 10 minutes. I finally had to delete it completely. That being said, I'm also using Ad Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy, and Spyware Blaster.

I have had that problem occasionally but with the newest version it's been error free. I use all of those as well, along with Malwarebytes, which is excellent for spyware/malware.

101 sffilk  Tue, Mar 31, 2009 6:55:43am

re: #100 tedzilla99

I have had that problem occasionally but with the newest version it's been error free. I use all of those as well, along with Malwarebytes, which is excellent for spyware/malware.

Thanks for the update.


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Last updated: 2023-04-04 11:11 am PDT
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Why Did More Than 1,000 People Die After Police Subdued Them With Force That Isn’t Meant to Kill? An investigation led by The Associated Press has found that, over a decade, more than 1,000 people died after police subdued them through physical holds, stun guns, body blows and other force not intended to be lethal. More: Why ...
Cheechako
Yesterday
Views: 35 • Comments: 0 • Rating: 0
A Closer Look at the Eastman State Bar DecisionTaking a few minutes away from work things to read through the Eastman decision. As I'm sure many of you know, Eastman was my law school con law professor. I knew him pretty well because I was also running in ...
KGxvi
Yesterday
Views: 89 • Comments: 1 • Rating: 1