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Also known as Downup, Downadup, Kido

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. It uses flaws in Windows OS software (MS08-067 / CVE-2008-4250) 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. The Conficker worm infected millions of computers including government, business and home computers in over 190 countries, making it the largest known computer worm infection sin

Key facts

Malware.image
Conficker.svg
Malware.technical_name
Mal/Conficker-A (Sophos) Win32/Conficker.A (ESET, CA) W32.Downadup (Symantec) W32/Downadup.A (F-Secure) Conficker.A (Panda) Net-Worm.Win32.Kido.bt (Kaspersky) W32/Conficker.worm (McAfee) Win32.Worm.Downadup.Gen (BitDefender) Win32:Confi (avast!) WORM_DOWNAD (Trend Micro) Worm.Downadup (ClamAV)
Malware.type
Worm
Malware.platform
Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server (SP2), Windows Vista, Windows 2008 Server

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
Conficker.svg
Show 3 more facts
anti-virus alias
Worm:Win32/Conficker.C
production date
2008-00-00
Commons category
Conficker
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~21 min read

Article

23 sections
Contents
  • Prevalence
  • History
  • Name
  • Discovery
  • Impact in Europe
  • Operation
  • Initial infection
  • Payload propagation
  • Armoring
  • Self-defense
  • End action
  • Symptoms
  • Response
  • From Microsoft
  • From registries
  • Origin
  • Removal and detection
  • Third-party software
  • Automated remote detection
  • US CERT
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

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. It uses flaws in Windows OS software (MS08-067 / CVE-2008-4250) 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. The Conficker worm infected millions of computers including government, business and home computers in over 190 countries, making it the largest known computer worm infection since the 2003 SQL Slammer worm.

Despite its wide propagation, the worm did not do much damage, perhaps because its authors – believed to have been Ukrainian citizens – did not dare use it because of the attention it drew. Four men were arrested, and one pled guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison.

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