Malicious Software Tip

Conficker has acquired more than its share of coverage as probably the most important malware in the last year, but this next week will see a whole lot more. The latest variant of the worm, Conficker.C, is programmed to do something on April 1.

We all know to keep your computer Antivirus Software updated with Windows Update and set your computer to receive security & critical "Updates" Also, Spyware/Malware protection. But here's a few security measures you can do:

"One of the many ways that your system can get infected in the first place is from the usual suspects: e-mail attachments, rogue links in e-mails or on malicious websites and from downloading files from P2P networks such as Limewire and KaZaa, but a most recent exploit seems to be where many folks are getting infected.

The popularity of online video and especially YouTube has created a new trick for malware writers to get into your system. If you click on a link that presents itself as a video, but when you go to play the video you get an alert stating that you need to update your “Flash Player” or you need a new ‘codec’, the chances are real good that it’s a trick.

If you routinely view online video and you are suddenly told you need something new to view online videos, especially from a no-name website, be suspicious.

If a message comes up saying you need a new version of the Flash Player, don’t accept the file that the website offers as an update. Instead, go to http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer to install the latest version of the free video player, then go back and try viewing the video again.

If the same message comes up with a prompt to download an updated Flash Player, you will know it’s a scam for sure.

In the same respects, if you get a message telling you that you need a new ‘codec’ to view a video, the safe response is to take a pass until someone technical you trust can see if you’re video playback software is really that old."

Posted by Ken of Data Doctors on March 26, 2009

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