Apr 10, 2017 conficker is a worm and it infected over 15 million computers around the globe, including government, business, and home computers in over 190 countries, making it the largest known computer worm. The infection has spread to computers all over the world and includes home, business and government users. Since that time, conficker has infected millions of computers and established the infrastructure for a botnet. It may also spread through removable drives and weak administrator passwords. A white hat group of cyber ubergeeks formed the conficker cabal to stop the worm. Learning from history the conficker outbreak threatwatch. An analysis of conficker s logic and rendezvous points.
That much power controlled by its unknown maker posed an existential. Conficker, also known as downadup or kido, is a worm that gained a great deal of media attention in early spring of 2009. The author who has a journalistic background and has written several other journalistic history books, most notably black hawk down treads lightly over the technical aspects of the worm and concentrates more on the history and the group dynamics of the multidisciplined group, or cabal, that countered conficker. The enemy within when the conficker computer worm was unleashed on the world in november 2008, cybersecurity experts didnt know what to. Dec 03, 2015 its been over seven years since the conficker worm spread around the world, cracking passwords, exploiting vulnerabilities, and hijacking windows computers into a botnet to distribute spam and install scareware. Other variants after the first conficker worm spread to other machines by dropping copies of itself in removable drives and network shares. From the author of black hawk down comes the story of the battle between thos. Conficker simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
With later variants, the service name may be anywhere in the list and may seem to. The conficker worm is notable because a it is cubas first attempt at cyberwarfare. The enemy within when the conficker computer worm was unleashed on the world in november 2008, cybersecurity experts didnt know what to make of it. From the bestselling author of black hawk down, the gripping story of the conficker wormthe cyberattack that nearly toppled the world. The rise of conficker, as an event and as a media phenomenon, has as much to do with user inaction as it does with the actual threat posed by the worm itself.
Oct 04, 2011 this is about as far as worm gets into the engineering of conficker. The first digital world war is the story of how the. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. So as attention shifts away from conficker, its important to know where we stand against the worlds most famous piece of malware. The conficker worm has seized control of millions of computers in just a few months image. The inside story of the conficker worm new scientist. The first digital world war tells the story of the conficker worm, a potentially devastating piece of malware that has baffled experts and infected more than twelve million computers worldwide.
The book focuses on the creation of the worlds largest botnet by a worm called conficker back in 2008. Conficker uses dictionary attacks on administrator passwords to hijack machines and link them to a virtual. While that never happened, it is remarkable for the number of computers it is alleged to have infected. Book chronicles fight to save web from sophisticated.
The conficker worm has created an infrastructure that the creators of the worm can use to remotely install software on infected machines. The conficker worm infected its first computer in november 2008 and within a month had infiltrated 1. Uscert is aware of public reports indicating a widespread infection of the conficker downadup worm, which can infect a microsoft windows system from a thumb drive, a network share, or directly across a corporate network, if the network servers are not patched with the ms08067 patch from microsoft researchers have discovered a new variant of the conficker worm. The conficker worm was huge news when it emerged towards the end of 2008, exploiting millions of windows devices.
The conficker worm is proof positive of the fact that despite security updates and media reports, users can be the weak link in the security ecosystem unless motivated to action. Conficker, also known as downup, downadup and kido, is a computer worm targeting the. B is a worm that infects other computers across a network by exploiting a vulnerability in the windows server service svchost. The spread of the conficker worm is a sign that all pc users are stubborn and continue to avoid keeping their windows installations up to date with the latest security patches. What you need to know about the conficker worm pcworld. They can all be referred to as the conficker family of malware. Those behind the worm can also remotely control those machines too, via something known as a botnet. Conficker worm targets microsoft windows systems cisa. History is a great teacher and provides us with a wealth of learning. The conficker worm is a computer virus that has infected millions of computers worldwide. Lets dive into to the history of this worm, shall we. Mar 31, 2009 the conficker worm is a computer virus that has infected millions of computers worldwide.
Today, it remains one of the most pervasive malware families around the globe. The conficker worm infected its first computer in november 2008 and within. When conficker was unleashed in november 2008, cybersecurity experts did not know what to make of it. Known as conficker, it was and remains the most persistent computer worm ever seen, linking computers with microsof t operat ing systems globally, millions of them, to create a vast illicit botnet, in effect, a blackmarket supercomputer. It was estimated 15 million computers were infected with conficker. Using the history of the conficker computer worm as a centerpiece, the author discusses the war raging over the internet, between those who want to exploit it and those who aim to protect it. The virus was supposed to get worse on april 1, 2009, which caused many people to. Also known as downadup, conficker was discovered in november 2008.
The virus infected high profile targets such as the french navys network and the uk parliament and ministry of defence. Conficker is now parading as an antivirus program called spyware protect 2009. The motive behind the conficker worm may not be known, but it may be aimed at creating one of the largest existing examples of a socalled botnet a huge network of compromised computers that. Dec 08, 2017 nearly a decade after it first burst across the world, the conficker worm remains one of the internets most prevalent malware threats, according to research by the security firm trend micro. This book chronicles a larger threat and should be on the shelves not just of computer collections, but any general lending library. Mar 30, 2009 if youve been paying attention to general computer news, you may have read about the conficker worm, and what may or may not happen to windows pcs that are infected with conficker on april 1.
At its peak, it was estimated to have infected between 9 and 15 million machines, and even as late as 2011 was still on roughly 1. Conficker is a worm that infects computers running the windows operating system by using known flaws in windows. Help protect windows from conficker microsoft the inside story of the conficker worm subscription required for full article whatever happened to the conficker worm. This book is also about its authors efforts to tell the conficker story in both technical terms and common parlance. The worm infected computers in 190 countries, with a total estimate of 9 to 15 million computers infected. Conficker, also known as downup, downadup and kido, is a computer worm targeting the microsoft windows operating system that was first detected in november 2008.
If the vulnerability is successfully exploited, it could allow remote code execution when file sharing is enabled. With the global botnet programmed to accept new instructions beginning today, the new york times called it an unthinkable disaster in. The first variant of the conficker malware family was seen propagating via the ms08067 server service vulnerability back in 2008. It snuck in through a little patch a hole that was in.
Conficker is a computer worm that targets the microsoft windows operating system that was first detected in november of 2008. I think freshmen security practitioners will get a lot out of this book, however. Nearly a decade after it first burst across the world, the conficker worm remains one of the internets most prevalent malware threats, according to research by the security firm trend micro. The virus was supposed to get worse on april 1, 2009, which caused many people to worry about it. The origin of the name conficker is thought to be a combination of the english term configure. Mark bowden s worm is about the potentially diabolical piece of computer malware known as conficker and the efforts of cybersecurity experts to hunt it down.
The conficker worm, three years and counting naked security. Diego aguirre is it time to put conficker in the history books. From the author of black hawk down comes the story of the battle between those determined to exploit the internet and those committed to protect itthe ongoing war taking place literally beneath our fingertips. Mar 27, 2009 where do many of the malicious computer hackers come from. Conficker worm still spreading despite being nearly 10 years old.
Sep 27, 2011 the worm that could bring down the internet as many as 12 million computers worldwide have been infected with a highly encrypted computer worm called conficker. In late march of 2009, it was grossly hyped by the media, who said it would deliver some massively destructive payload. The conficker worm in march 2009 the house of commons and the french navy were among the owners of an estimated 10m windows computers worldwide infected by a worm known as conficker. The worm that could bring down the internet as many as 12 million computers worldwide have been infected with a highly encrypted computer worm called conficker. Conficker is a fastspreading worm that targets a vulnerability ms08067 in windows operating systems. Conficker, also known as downup, downadup and kido, is a computer worm targeting the microsoft windows operating system that was first detected in october 2008. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. A report on the cbs news television news program examines one of the internets most dangerous computer worms. Conficker worm still infects millions of machines despite.
It uses flaws in windows os software and dictionary attacks on administrator passwords to propagate while forming a botnet, and has been unusually difficult to counter because of its. Hypponen, who is scheduled to speak about the conficker botnet next week at black hat, a major computer security conference, said he thinks whoever made conficker didnt mean for the worm to get. Mar 24, 2009 computer security experts are massing against the conficker computer worm. If the computer is infected with the win32 conficker virus, a random service name will be listed. If you recall, conficker is the most recent widespread network worm that began to. Conficker gained so much attention in part because of. It uses flaws in windows os software and dictionary attacks on administrator passwords to propagate while forming a botnet, and has been unusually difficult to counter because of its combined use of many advanced malware techniques. Conficker worm may be aimed at creating a botnet a network of compromised computers controlled by criminals bobbie johnson. Margret warner and bowden discuss the conficker worm, which was first detected in 2008 and ultimately invaded at least 12 million computers worldwide. Conficker was believed to be the worst computer worm since the sql slammer worm in 2003. As don jackson tells lesley stahl, many hail from russia and some are even underage. This book is also about its authors efforts to tell the conficker story in. These variants have improved upon conficker s code and have been released in response to attempts to stop or remove conficker s infestation.
The conficker worm infected its first computer in november 2008 and within a month had. Conficker was a computer worm targeting windows computers that was first detected in november of 2008. With later variants, the service name may be anywhere in the list and may seem to be more legitimate. Its been over seven years since the conficker worm spread around the world, cracking passwords, exploiting vulnerabilities, and hijacking windows computers into a botnet to distribute spam and install scareware. This botnet was called conficker, downup, downadup, kido, and a whole host of. Conficker spread by exploiting a vulnerability in the windows operating system and infected millions of business, government, and home computers.
More than nine years after it was first spotted in 2008, the worm continues to be detected by antimalware systems with enough. The fascinating story of the conficker computer worm and the cyber security elites. Conficker is a worm that was released in november 2008, infecting computers to create a botnet. Banks, telecommunications companies, and critical government networks including the british parliament and the french and german military were infected.
Conficker is also known as downup, downadup, and kido. B, the service name was random letters and was at the bottom of the list. Computer security experts are massing against the conficker computer worm. Mark bowden is the author of seven books, including black hawk down. Opinion the worm that nearly ate the internet the new. The worm also used sophisticated encryption to both pack and.
The first digital world war, mark bowden writes about the team who worked together to combat the conficker worm, focusing on some of the principal players in the conficker working group and on their stories over the nine months of confickers activity. A was the first version of the worm and then conficker. The learning from the past is relevant not merely for anecdotal reasons but also for the wisdom that we can gain from it. Bowden switches gears and turns it into a much broader book.
Seven years on, the conficker worm is not dead but dominating. The first digital world war tells the story of the conficker worm, a potentially. What was the purpose of the 2008 conficker worm, one of the. The storm worm was first detected on january 17, 2007, and accounted for 8% of all virus infections worldwide by january 22, 2007. Jun 10, 2009 the inside story of the conficker worm.