Latest articles on Conficker

Brooklands College rolls out Sophos endpoint solution across its entire network

(16/09/2011)

The Conficker worm, also known as Downadup, first surfaced in November 2008 and has infected thousands of business networks. The infection attacks unpatched computers by exploiting weak passwords and USB storage devices. The widespread use of USB drives by students has meant that schools and colleges have been particularly badly affected by Conficker – the infection also spreads beyond the education environment, as students use USB devices on both college networks and at home. Sophos is p... [more]

Expected rise in targeted social engineering attacks and information warfare

(18/01/2011)

As usual at the beginning of a new year, the time has come for IT security industry heads to reflect back on what has been and forecast what is yet to come. There will undoubtedly be many unwelcome surprises, but what can we definitely expect to see? Joona Airamo, chief information security officer at Stonesoft gazes into his crystal ball and predicts how the IT security landscape is going to look in 2011: 1. As the Apple OS becomes more commonly used, there will be a nasty worm or viru... [more]

Many people are still choosing very poor passwords

(05/01/2011)

Twitter, LinkedIn, World of Warcraft and Yahoo are amongst the popular websites which are advising users to change their passwords in light of the recent security breach at the Gawker Media family of sites. The issue is that many people (33%, according to a recent Sophos research) use the same password on every single website. That means that if your password gets stolen in one place (like Gawker's Gizmodo or Lifehacker websites), it can be used to unlock access to other sites too. Unfortu... [more]

W32 Stuxnet-B rootkit can install itself automatically from a USB memory stick onto a fully-patched PC

(23/08/2010)

Sophos has detected a rootkit that can install itself automatically from a USB memory stick onto a fully-patched PC, even if the user has disabled the Windows AutoRun and AutoPlay feature. The W32/Stuxnet-B rootkit exploits a vulnerability in the way Windows handles .LNK shortcut files, that allows them to execute automatically if the USB stick is accessed by Windows Explorer. Once the rootkit is in place it effectively enters "stealth-mode", cloaking its presence on the infected PC. Curi... [more]

Organisations must ensure USB flash drives can only be used in compliance with corporate security policies

(09/11/2009)

How many times have you used a USB flash drive at your offices? Hundreds? Thousands? Their sheer convenience makes usage almost second nature. But as often happens with IT security, whenever a device or platform becomes popular, it also becomes a target for malicious exploits – making it a security risk that can prove costly. The high cost of taking a security risk was discovered by Ealing council when earlier this year an employee inadvertently used an infected memory stick. The council’s... [more]

SMEs most at risk from new methods of infection

(14/07/2009)

Malware-spreading vectors are being used to infect small and medium-sized businesses, allowing dangerous malware to enter a business’ network and compromise its security. According to Viorel Canja, head of BitDefender Labs, Bucharest, many small and medium-sized business are potentially at risk because many don’t have the level of security necessary to prevent these vectors from being used to infect their networks. “Businesses need to be aware of these new and dangerous methods of infection a... [more]

 

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