Canderis Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 At some point on April 1, the Conficker virus, which has quietly infected millions of PCs worldwide to herd them into a "botnet" of linked machines, will phone home for new instructions. Any thoughts? Hoax or real? What do you guys think it will do? Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igyman Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I'm not infected, so I'm safe from whatever (if anything) happens. Besides, it's April 1st over here already and everything is as usual. Ah well, if it transforms into SkyNet and sends out hordes of Terminators, I guess the Americans will be hit first. Meh, I think our time would be better spent figuring out this year's LucasForums April Fool's joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrrtoken Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I find it odd that "they" say that they don't know what it will do. Obviously they aren't good hackers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan7 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astor Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Why April 1st? Surely any other day is just as good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrrtoken Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I'm writing a trojan that will activate on April 20th, who wants to help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canderis Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) I dont get it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan7 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I dont get it.... Yoda, standard forum option for any poll Basically I'd say there isn't enough data to make a conclusion as to what the conflicker virus is going to do, though I'd estimate the current panic is in all likely hood an April fools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcesious Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I've done some research... Apparently conficker is known for taking advantage of weaknesses in Windows computers. I'm not inviting a Mac vs. PC debate, all I'm saying is that if you want safe internet on April 1st, use a Mac. This means I won't get to use my favorite PC's internet on that day though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HK-42 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I've done some research... Apparently conficker is known for taking advantage of weaknesses in Windows computers. I'm not inviting a Mac vs. PC debate, all I'm saying is that if you want safe internet on April 1st, use a Mac. This means I won't get to use my favorite PC's internet on that day though... Well Mac users arnt completely safe, just from getting the worm, not sideeffects the worm could bring. Nobody knows what the point of the worm is, except that it disables many security sites, and it is programmed to get more instructions on April 1st. It could be anything, it could send spam to every computer in the world for all we know, after all it is 9 million+ computers affected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrrtoken Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I've done some research... Apparently conficker is known for taking advantage of weaknesses in Windows computers.Conficker is designed for Windows only, more specifically, the NT kernel. Using something like Win95/98/Me won't really affect it.I'm not inviting a Mac vs. PC debate, all I'm saying is that if you want safe internet on April 1st, use a Mac.Do one better: install Linux. You won't want to back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Rider Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Do one better: install Linux. You won't want to back. Well, if Linux that good I know won't want Windows again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrrtoken Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Well, if Linux that good I know won't want Windows again.Well, it is good to have Windows put on something, in case WINE doesn't run a certain app, which is, fortunately, becoming more and more uncommon. But overall, there's a great deal of open-source programs that will generally outperform its Windows counterpart. Pidgin, a Linux IM client, can actually send messages over a variety of protocols, including MSN, AIM, and several others. Oh, and Linux is free, but that's minor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Avlectus Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Not sure, though I do find it odd that "organized crime" has a set date...kind of eliminates the secrecy to it. If nothing else, protection security programs up and coming will get exposure... Conficker is designed for Windows only, more specifically, the NT kernel. Using something like Win95/98/Me won't really affect it.Do one better: install Linux. You won't want to back. I thought you had to be C++ literate to make any kind of practical use of it? Well, if Linux that good I know won't want Windows again. Well, it is good to have Windows put on something, in case WINE doesn't run a certain app, which is, fortunately, becoming more and more uncommon. But overall, there's a great deal of open-source programs that will generally outperform its Windows counterpart. Pidgin, a Linux IM client, can actually send messages over a variety of protocols, including MSN, AIM, and several others. Oh, and Linux is free, but that's minor. ......Ok...? Where would I begin, exactly? (aside from looking up and downloading and all that jazz) I guess it's best to be safe, rather than sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabretooth Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I thought you had to be C++ literate to make any kind of practical use of it? For some of the more hardcore nerdy distros like Gentoo or Slackware, you have to compile the kernel and other fancy shiznit like that. Most other distros are made for level-headed people like you and me, though. They're as easy to install as Mac or Windows would be. ......Ok...? Where would I begin, exactly? (aside from looking up and downloading and all that jazz) Look for Ubuntu, it's the most popular easy distro at the moment and very smooth to operate for a non-Linux newbie. It should get you rolling along the Linux path and their forums are also very good to ask any questions you've got. Switching to Linux isn't exactly an instant change, you'll need a month max to get fully used to it and keep discovering more things as you go. Also, I wouldn't rely on WINE so much either. Dual-boot for now, maybe when the WINE guys hit the Holy Grail, it might be worth switching over to for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Dravis Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 The security hole that Conficker exploited was patched by Microsoft months before the worm was released. The only reason people should be infected is because they failed to keep their machine up to date. It's not MS's fault this time, folks. Saying it was so would be similar to considering the Apache web server full of security holes because someone's install of it hadn't been updated for a long time (that is, the same goes for Linux too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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