Conficker's copycat evil twin

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April 8th, 2009 - Posted by Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger

Both Microsoft Certified Professional and Computerworld report on a variation of Conficker known as "Neeris." Neeris is a 4 year old virus that has resurfaced and is now behaving like a Conficker wannabe. It is believed that the criminal hackers who created Conficker and Neeris are either the same person or are working together, double teaming the computer security community.

Neeris began showing up on March 31st into April 1st which, as we know, was supposed to be the launch date for the next set of Conficker updates.

Conficker and Neeris both include auto-run and remote call features that allow it to slither into external storage, including cameras, USB drives, external hard drives and other memory-based devices. Furthermore, it is feared that the "call home" feature will eventually enable either virus to update their abilities to wreak havoc and compromise data.

What's troubling is that Microsoft created a critical security update specifically for Conficker, labeled the MS08-067 patch. Now, Microsoft Certified Professional states that Neeris is able to "poke holes in" this patch, indicating that the patch is no match for Neeris.

However, as stated in Computerworld, "Due to the similarities to Conficker, most of the mitigations that were mentioned also apply here. Make sure to install MS08-067 if you haven't done so yet, and be careful to use only autoplay options you're familiar with, or consider disabling the Autorun altogether."

You should also be sure to update critical security patches and run the latest anti-virus definitions. To learn more about McAfee and other Internet security software, check out NextAdvisor.com's reviews and comparison chart.

Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses viruses slithering into memory based devices.

Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com , an identity theft expert, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 companies and startups as an advisor on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. Siciliano's thoughts and advice on all these matters appear often in both the televised and print news media including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of security training as a member of the American Society of Industrial Security. He is the author of 2 books, including The Safety Minute: Living on High Alert; How to take control of your personal security and prevent fraud. He's also partnered with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.