Conficker’s Probable Attack Bring Experts on Toes

In an attempt to beat the possible wreak of the computer worm named 'Conficker' on April 1, 2009, the authority responsible for Canadian domains ending with suffix .ca, i.e. the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), is blocking access to some unregistered names for the first time.

According to reports, from April 1 onwards, Conficker is likely to compel the infected PCs to produce and connect randomly to 50,000 Web links per day from 110 domains worldwide, including .ca domains.

As per CIRA, the infected systems will try to attain a secret "command and control" file that directs the worm to carry out malicious activities. It could be secretly embedded in any of those links.

While expressing his views on the possible outbreak of the latest variant of the nasty and troublesome Conficker's infection, Byron Holland CEO and President of the CIRA noted, "This is the first [worm] that has targeted the domain-name system," as reported by theglobeandmail on March 27, 2009.

The CIRA officials revealed that the intentions of creators of this worm could not be identified so far. Probably, they are intended to flood the Internet with spam e-mails or to track key strokes to illegally access the passwords and other bank details or to delete files from the users' PCs.

Meanwhile, as a preventive step, the CIRA has blocked 157,000 unregistered .ca domains likely to be generated by the Conficker worm. The authority is also keeping a close watch over the registered domains in wake of the possibility of any registered one belonging to the authors of the worm. As the worm looks to evade the PCs based in Ukraine, it is speculated that it might have been originated in Ukraine itself.

Moreover, a fresh report by SRI International, a California-based independent research firm, highlighted the wide range of possible outcomes which may result due to the Conficker infection. According to SRI researchers, the worm may be exploited as a profitable and sustained platform to launch Internet fraud and thefts on a massive scale.

Related article: Conviction of First Felony Spam in Virginia Upheld

» SPAMfighter News - 4/1/2009