Conficker Virus Paralyzes Police’s And Sheriff Office’s Computers

According to the reports from Azdailysun.com published on July 31, 2009, a PC virus is understood to have attacked the networks at the Flagstaff Police Department as well as the Office of the Coconino County Sheriff in Flagstaff, Arizona (USA).

Nina Garcia and Richard White, Technical Support team at the Office of Coconino County Sheriff said the individual servers and PCs of each department were hit with the virus called Conficker. Azdailysun.com reported this.

The virus, which is designed to convert a computer into a zombie for a botnet, lets some other person to control the PC remotely, Garcia stated. According to her, the virus' most usual effect is to block account users from accessing the system.

Alongside the above characteristics, the Conficker also spreads via USB memory devices like MP3 players or USB Drives. For imposing greater threat, it continuously updates itself and downloads improved variants onto infected computers via different as also changing IPs, causing difficulty in blocking the malware. Simultaneously, certain versions are configured to take down other malicious programs onto a contaminated PC. This therefore suggests that the creators of the virus are getting ready to launch a massive attack shortly, employing the infected systems.

Adds Garcia while Conficker typically proliferates via Web-pages such as MSNBC.com or CNN.com, it isn't configured to compromise sensitive or personal data.

Stated Sgt. Michael Terrin belonging to Flagstaff Police Department, personnel at Sheriff's office along with police officials were informed on July 28, 2009 against using their computers. Azdailysun.com reported this.

Consequently, officials couldn't connect to the PC reporting arrangements, Internet or e-mail.

Indeed, even while all of the PCs are reported to have been disinfected, the servers are still contaminated with the virus despite repeatedly cleaning them.

Further, states White, the total number of Conficker contaminations which have hit the computer network of the police department and the sheriff's office during the 5 weeks spanning between June 2009 and July end 2009 exceeds the total number of contaminations which have attacked during the past 6 years from 2003 to 2009 during when White has been actively engaged with the county sheriff's office.

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» SPAMfighter News - 8/12/2009