ubuntu 10.04

Pengembang distro Linux Ubuntu telah membuat gebrakan baru dengan menambah performance booting Ubuntu. Ambisi developer Linux Ubuntu ini akan diterapkan di tahun 2010 untuk mengurangi waktu booting hingga hanya 10 detik. Meningkatnya adopsi system operasi Linux di device netbook telah memberikan semangat kepada developer Linux untuk berfokus kepada performance startup system tersebut di netbook. Ubuntu 9.04 yang dirilis bulan lalu, juga merupakan salah satu distro Linux yang memiliki improvisasi ini.

Dalam presentasinya di Barcelona, developer Linux, Scott James Remnant mengungkapkan bahwa waktu booting Linux sudah berkurang dari 65 detik  di versi  Linux 8.10, hingga hanya 25 detik di Ubuntu 9.04. Canonical, vendor di balik Ubuntu, akan melanjutkan menambah improvisasi waktu booting di Ubuntu 9.10 dengan kode nama Karmic Koala. Menurut klaim Remnant, waktu booting Ubuntu 10.04 akan diubah menjadi 10 detik saja, segera rilis mengikuti Karmic.

Remnant memberikan informasi di bagian mana waktu booting akan berkurang. Sebuah strategi penting akan membuat display server Xorg akan berjalan secepat mungkin, sehingga akan memberikan waktu yang singkat untuk mengangkat komponen yang harus ditempatkan sebelum Xorg start, termasuk komponen udev device manager dan initramfs, sebuah system file temporer yang di-load ke syetm memory untuk memfasilitasi pross startup. Sementara Initramfs bertindak sebagai penanggung jawab untuk mounting root system file dan load module kernel. Selain itu, Initramfs juga memainkan peran untuk software RAID, enkripsi disk, booting dari system file jaringan, dan melakukan task lain yang sama. Remnant mengungkapkan akan mengurangi waktu kinerja kedua komponen di atas dan menghilangkan beberapa aktivitas yang dapat memperlambat startup.

Remnant mengatakan bahwa kernel dan initramfs akan mengambil waktu 2 detik, loading driver, filesystem mounting, dan load lainnya akan menghabiskan waktu 2 detik, launching display Xorg sekitar 2 detik, dan 4 detik untuk launching desktop environment dan layanan lainnya yang menjadi bagian dari session user. Komputer akan full load dan siap digunakan dalam waktu 10 detik, tambah Remnant.(h_n)

google rank

Collect the real secrets to get 1st Google Rank
The numerical value denotes the value of any web page rank on the internet. It is highly depending upon the user traffic that which of the website they are using the most. It also depends upon the type of information they wanted to obtain from the search. There are sites providing incompetent information about any search due to the lack of proper informative materials. Sometimes they are not using the proper marketing software or the placement of their website unable for the users to find out or take help of their search engine optimization. To derive any information in general, people are taking the help of the most popular site that is Google that provides the maximum possible information to the user as per their inquiries. Website like Wikipedia.org or ezine.org are basically the articles sites do not provide any active link in the first paragraph of the information obtained from them. Page rank is normally given keeping in mind the traffic on the website which is very popular amongst the users and as per the Larry Page and Sergey Brin; undoubtedly Google is still enjoying the number one spot on the internet as the most used site.
In a website, the rank of pages really plays an important role which is used by Google. It has been observed that the RJO sites have gained the lion share of the traffic of the users and that has become possible with the help of its most efficient search engine. It is possible for anyone to find the page rank by installing the Google tool bar on your browser, the page rank would appear on the tool bar. This could be seen even with the repeated action to find the page rank. This makes easy for one to know the page rank of the particular website. One has to create the website keeping in mind the users’ traffic. International marketing strategies highly depends on the potential traffic which is expected to use or pay a visit to their website. The website should be linked with the proper profitable affiliate software to help them to http://www.bradcallen.com/”>make money online. It would be easy for the search engine optimization to find the placement of the website for the users if it is properly placed along with the other websites of the same trade. Google has not started updating all their servers and they would provide the suitable grade or rank within the short span. They will find out the placement of your site whether it has been placed at the right place or not. With the beginning of the updating there would be a reshuffling for all the sites and then the rank would be allotted accordingly.

Virus ATM

jAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Sejumlah ATM (anjungan tunai mandiri) yang menjalankan Windows XP disebutkan rentan terhadap serangan otomatis yang dapat mencuri nomor rekening bank dan PIN. Di Eropa Timur, beberapa varian software jahat telah ditemukan di mesin-mesin uang yang di-hack. Demikian dilaporkan lembaga insecurity Trustwave Spiderlabs.
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Tidak dirinci bagaimana ATM-ATM itu terinfeksi, tetapi kelihatannya malware itu disandi (encode) pada sebuah kartu yang dapat disisipkan dalam sebuah ATM card reader yang me-mount serangan buffer overflow. Mesin ini terpapar dengan mengganti file isadmin.exe yang menginfeksi sistem.

Program isadmin.exe yang jahat kemudian memanfaatkan Windows API untuk memasang kode serangan. Caranya, dengan mengganti sistem file yang bernama lsass.exe dalam direktori C:-WINDOWS.

Begitu program jahat lsass.exe diaktifkan, program akan mengumpulkan nomor-nomor rekening dan PIN. Program lalu menunggu kendali manusia untuk menyisipkan kartu yang sudah dimanipulasi untuk mengambil alih ATM.

Setelah ATM ditempatkan di bawah kendali manusia penyerang, mereka dapat melakukan berbagai fungsi. Ini termasuk memanen data hasil curian atau bahkan mengeluarkan kotak uang.

Laporan Trustwave ditutup dengan kesimpulan, “Sangat merekomendasikan SEMUA lembaga finansial yang memiliki ATM untuk melakukan analisis lingkungannya guna mengenali apakah ada malware ini atau malware yang serupa.” Tentu saja, terserah pada lembaga finansial apa yang akan mereka lakukan setelahnya.

FTP

Copying files between two hosting companies via FTP
The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is one of the chief and most frequently used protocols on the Internet. It is generally integrated into the browsers. FTP facilitates the enormous bulk of file transfers across the Internet. FTP is used to exchange and manipulate files over a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) computer network, such as the internet. Initially FTP was running on hosts inside MIT. Later it was adapted to Arpanet.

FTP was designed to allow users to copy files between two different host computers. These separate hosts could potentially be running different operating systems, using different file storage systems, and using different character sets. FTP works using two different TCP connections. The first connection is called a control connection, and the second is called the data connection. The control connection is established at the beginning of the FTP session and is maintained for the duration of the session. Commands issued by the client, and replies originating from server are exchanged along this connection. The data connection on the other hand is transitory and brought up and torn down as needed. This data connection is used to transfer files and directory listings to and from the client at the client’s request.

Once a user has logged in to the FTP server, the client establishes how the data is to be transported between the two hosts. There are two possible ways of establishing a data connection: Active, and passively-initiated connections. In the active technique, the client first issues a PORT command to the server. This indicates to the server which port the client wishes to receive the data on. The server acknowledges this PORT command. Then, it opens a data connection from port on the server to the previously established ephemeral port on the client. Any data requested by the client is then exchanged on this TCP connection. When the transfer is complete, the server closes the data connection by transmitting a FIN packet and the TCP connection is torn down. The next time the client requests data, a new data connection is built and the whole process repeats. The second way of creating a data connection is called a passively-initiated data transfer. Instead of issuing a PORT command, the client can issue the PASV command.

Many FTP servers are set up to disseminate information freely to the public. Often these servers allow anonymous logins. Though usernames are essentially irrelevant in this case, the actual identification takes place in the same manner. Occasionally FTP servers will do a reverse DNS lookup on the IP to record the server you connected from.

FTP doesn’t account for host verification, data authentication, or data protection. With basic FTP, the server doesn’t really have any means of verifying authenticity the clients. Another potential problem is the very act of getting FTP through a firewall. Regulating data transmissions with FTP can be very tricky, particularly if the data is being actively transmitted. With active data transmissions the server makes inbound connections to unknown ports on machines behind the firewall.

Data Backup Operations

for your Computer – Keep You Data Safe and Secure

An efficient backup plan, authentically followed, is the foundation of any catastrophe improvement plan. A simple hard-drive failure can set a company back days or even weeks, without backups, as it tries to reconstruct lost data. One advantage of tape backup is that a user can run it unattended. The user can schedule tape backup to run automatically during off hours, when no one is using the network. Every version of Windows comes with a built-in backup program. In addition, most tape drives come with backup programs that are often faster or more flexible than the standard Windows backup. Backup programs do more than just copying the data from the hard drive to tape. Backup programs use special compression techniques to squeeze the data in the compression ratio of 2:1. DAT (digital audio tape) units can back up as much as 40GB on a single tape, and DLT (digital linear tape) drives can store up to 80 GB on one tape. Several backup schemes rely on full backups daily, but for some networks, it’s more practical to use a scheme that relies on two or more of these backup types. The differences among the five types of backups involve a little technical detail known as the archive bit. The archive bit indicates whether a file has been modified since the last time it was backed up. A user can customize the file selection for a backup operation to suit the needs of the user. The drives and folders that a user selects for a backup operation are collectively called the backup selection. A normal backup, also known as full backup, is the most basic type of backup. All files in the backup selection are backed up in a normal backup, regardless of the archive bit. In other words, the files are backed up even if they haven’t been modified since the last time they were backed up. A daily backup backs up just those files that have been changed the same day that the backup is performed. A daily backup examines the modification date stored with each file’s directory entry to determine whether a file should be backed up. Daily backups don’t reset the archive bit. An incremental backup backs up only those files that the user has customized since the last time the user had a backup. A differential backup is similar to an incremental backup, with the exception that it doesn’t reset the archive bit as the files are backed up. The main difference between incremental and differential backups is that incremental backups result in smaller and faster backups, but differential backups are easier to restore. When back up of network data is taken, a user has two basic approaches to running the backup software- a local backup (software runs on the file server itself and backs up data to a tape drive that’s installed in the server), or a user can opt for a network backup (network computer is used to back up data from another network computer).

Boom website designs

What do you first look at when you open a web site? How do you primarily get impressed by a web site? All these answers have a great relevance in making a web site get the maximum number of viewers. Any one who will access a web page will first get attracted towards the entire look of that web site and then consider the other factors. Keeping this essential thing in mind Glimpse Media has introduced all new range of web portal designing which delivers a outstanding look to all their cli8ents to impress them the most.

The initial key for any online business to flourish is that its web portal should be good enough to lure the customers towards itself. And what else could do the cause apart from the web site designing part. Hence, it is always advisable to choose an expert to do the relevant job. They deliver the following services to all their clients:

1 They provide affordable website design
2 They deliver best website design in terms of quality
3 They offer the best word press themes
4 They even render business website designs
5 They even give the custom website designs on demand

Apart from all these they take special care of the requirements of their clients. While making the web sites the demands of their customers are kept in mind and then the work is preceded par excellence. They offer a wide range of designing work such as Newsletter design, Brochure designs, http://glimpse-media.com/”>best website design and many more. They provide user friendly designing templates which are easy to learn and handle.

Through their astonishing and innovative ideas they have maintained a tough stand among all their competitors. They not only do all the effort to do a striking out look of the web portal but also give it adaptable functions which makes it all the more lucrative to have. They have always set high goals to achieve which make them competitive and grow as a company in the market.

In a very short span of their experience they have worked with almost every reputed client in the industry. They provide special price packages for every genre of client from high level to small business type. Their innovative ideology and cost effective solutions make them a perfect match for any sort of business type.

Glimpse Media actually stands as a well known company in the web site development field. There are an ideal for all the new comers in this relevant field and an exception for the existing ones. Through their hard work and will power they have surely rule the market.

Apple and Mac

Are you wondering what brand of computer to get? Why not try getting that one with an apple on. I’am sure that all of us have seen that apple logo with a bite of its upper right side and I am also sure that all of us know who it belongs to. That famous apple is the logo of none other than Apple, Inc. This company is well known for its Macintosh personal computers, the iPod and the much talked about iPhone.

Macintosh, or popularly called as Mac, is a brand name for a group of personal computers produced by Apple, Inc. This also refers to the operating system used by these computers. Apple first introduced Macintosh computers in 1984 but suffered a decline when a cheaper and more efficient Microsoft Windows was introduced in the 1990 Ms. Since then more people started using Windows instead of Mac. But Apple fought back with the introduction of the iMac in 1998 and started to rise again soon after that. Today, Mac is still widely used by a great majority of people around the world and has given Windows a run for its money.

Apple has produced both desktop and laptops computers. Unlike the Windows operating system which can be used for any computer brand, the Mac operating system is only used with Apple computers. They have produced desktops computers with some of more common and latest models being the Mac Pro, iMac and Mac mini. They have also produced the MacBook Pro, http://www.cheapshoppingcenter.com/shop/Computers-and-Networking/Apple-Macintosh-Computers”>Powerbook Laptops and MacBook air for their portable computers.

The Mac Pro introduced in 2006 is a workstation desktop computer which uses Intel Xeon processors. The iMac introduced also in 2006 is a high-end desktop computer which is the first Macintosh with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The Mac mini introduced in 2005 is the smallest desktop computer to be released by Apple. This computer looks like a small box with a measurement of 6.5 by 6.5 by 2 inches. This also uses an Intel Core Solo or Intel Core Duo processor.

The MacBook Pro first introduced in 2006, is a 15 inch notebook pc with an aluminum casing. It uses Intel Core 2 Duo processors and has 4 GB of RAM. The MacBook also introduced

in 2006 is a 13.3 inch notebook computer with a polycarbonate casing. It also uses Intel Core 2 Duo processors and has up to 4 GB of RAM. The MacBook Air introduced early this year is a 13.3 inch notebook computer which weighs only 1.36 kg and is 0.16 inches thick. This uses Intel Core 2 Duo processors and 2 GB of RAM.

Aside from these computers, Apple has also produced the iPod which is a digital media player and the iPhone which is a phone, an iPod and an internet device in one. The computers have the usual accessories but both the iPod and iPhone has accessories too. These accessories can serve to protect your iPod or iPod and enhance them too.

If you don’t have an Apple computer yet and would like to try one after what you have read, why not open an internet window and type in http://www.cheapshoppingcenter.com”>www.cheapshoppingcenter.com into your address bar now and check out Apple computers, components and accessories at the lowest prices. You can look for Apple computers; compare their specifications and their prices to get the most value for your money. Not only that, while on Cheap Shopping Center also take a look at other http://www.cheapshoppingcenter.com/shop/Computers-and-Networking/Monitors-and-Projectors”>computer products. You might find something you like or need and you can get them at this site for the best prices.

PayPal

Membuat Rekening PayPal dan verifikasinya

Pertama, untuk membuat account PayPal dan AlertPay Anda, kami sarankan miliki dahulu email khusus baru, pengisian data di akun2 tersebut harus sama dengan KTP, karena alamat email itu akan menjadi alamat pengiriman transferan uang dari provider PTC kami (sama halnya seperti nomor rekening bila anda membuka account di BANK)

***

PayPal merupakan media pembayaran melalui internet yang memungkinkan Anda untuk menerima dan mengirim uang secara online(electonic payment). Sebagian besar PTC menggunakan media pembayaran ini untuk membayar anggotanya. Anda bisa memiliki keduanya dengan cara mendaftarkan secara GRATIS.

Step by step tutorial pendaftaran PayPal :
-Ke situs www.paypal.com
(Untuk keamanan pastikan mendaftar dengan link di site ini:
www.paypal.com atau logo ini:

- klik SignUp
- negara : Indonesia.
- bahasa : Indonesia
- pilih account pribadi
- klik Memulai
- Alamat email : isikan dengan alamat email anda (yang anda masukan akan menjadi username PayPal anda untuk login atau bertransaksi menggunakan PayPal kemudian)
- Pilih kata sandi : isi dengan kombinasi huruf dan angka, minimal 8 karakter.
- Masukkan ulang kata sandi : isikan sama dengan kata sandi
- Nama : isikan dengan nama lengkap anda bila nama Anda hanya 2 kata maka kosongkan saja nama tengahnya
- Tanggal Lahir : isikan sesuai KTP
- Kebangsaan : isikan kebangsaan Anda misal: Indonesia
- Baris Alamat 1: alamat KTP Anda
- Kota : alamat KTP Anda
- Propinsi : alamat KTP Anda
- Nomor telepon : isikan no telpon yang bisa dihubungi (contoh format yang benar=08123456789)
- kosongkan centang (Tautkan kartu kredit saya, supaya saya dapat segera mulai berbelanja)
- Nomor kartu kredit : kosongkan
- Klik : Saya setuju, buat rekening saya
- instruksi untuk memasukan Nomor kartu kredit anda yang akan digunakan untuk memasukan dana ke account PayPal anda, kosongkan saja dan klik Masuk ke Rekening Saya. (jangan klik lanjutkan!)

Anda akan menerima email konfirmasi bahwa Anda telah mendaftar dan untuk mengaktifkan account PayPal, buka email dari PayPal tersebut dan klik link konfirmasi yang terdapat didalamnya untuk konfirmasi bahwa anda adalah pemilik email tersebut

Setelah itu Anda akan dibawa kembali ke situs PayPal lagi dan masukan password Anda lagi (Anda harus memasukan password anda setiap ke situs PayPal) lalu ikuti langkah selanjutnya, setelah itu anda akan masuk ke halaman My Account

Catatan :
Sekarang Anda sudah mempunyai account PayPal Unverified account untuk melakukan pembayaran atau mengirim uang ke account PayPal lain dengan limit $100 USD (atau mungkin lebih pada beberapa account tergantung kartu kredit yang digunakan), serta dapat menerima uang dari account PayPal lain dengan limit terbatas.

Selesai, Selamat Anda telah memiliki account PayPal!
Anda sudah dapat menggunakan account PayPal anda sekarang juga.

Dengan Unverified PayPal Anda belum bisa withdraw ke rekening bank atau kartu kredit anda. Untuk bisa withdraw menarik uang dari balance paypal, anda sudah harus menjadi verified member.

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“Bagaimana membuat PayPal menjadi verified?”

FriendFinder, Anda akan mendapatkan kartu mastercard gratis, hanya saja program ini dapat Anda pergunakan untuk mencari teman seperti halnya friendster, facebook ataupun MySpace. Ditambah lagi Anda akan mendapatkan uang tambahan $1-$2, untuk setiap orang yang mengikuti program ini dari link Anda, uangnya langsung ditransfer melalui kartu MasterCard yang diberikan oleh mereka.

Untuk memulai DAFTAR DISINI atau klik banner dibawah ini:

Kemudian ikuti langkah-langkah berikut:
1. Klik : ‘affiliates’ (ada bagian navigation bar)
PENTING!!! Jika tidak Anda tidak akan mendapatkan kartu debit MasterCard yang saya maksudkan.
2. Klik : ‘Affliate sign up’ (Per Member Payout)
3. Preferred program : isi dengan ‘no.1 Permember payout’
4. First name : isi dengan nama awal Anda
5. Last name : isi dengan nama akhir Anda
6. URL : isi dengan URL website Anda, buat yang belum punya bikin aja dulu blog.
7. Desired password : isi dengan password yang Anda inginkan
8. Preferred newsletter language : english
9. Email adress : isi dengan alamat email Anda
10. Secondary email : kalo ga ada ga usah diisi
11. Checks payable to : Payoneer
12. Street adress : isi dengan alamat jelas rumah Anda (ke alamat inilah kartu debit Mastercard Anda akan dikirim dari New York)
13. City : isi dengan Kota/Kabupaten tempat Anda tinggal
14. State/province : isi dengan Provinsi tempat Anda tinggal
15. ZIP/Postal code : isi dengan kode pos rumah Anda
16. Tax id : kosongkan saja
17. Business classification : individual
18. Phone number : isi dengan no rumah atau handphone Anda
19. Instan messenger : no
20. Use e passporte : no
21. Pastikan terisi dengan benar setelah selesai ‘click here for the last step’
22. Klik ‘Submit’ (checklist dulu kotak persetujuannya)
23. Tertera disitu alamat URL website replikasi Anda (catat alamat ini, karena akan Anda pergunakan untuk promosi).
24. Klik ‘Account information‘ yang ada pada sebelah kanan atas web lalu muncullah account information Anda.
25. Klik ‘here‘ (berwarna biru) untuk meng-update informasi Anda yang berkaitan dengan pembayaran via Payoneer.
26. Klik ‘sign up to be paid by prepaid mastercard‘ (bergaris bawah dan berwarna biru) Anda akan diarahkan untuk membuat kartu debit Mastercard.
27. Klik ‘Get your prepaid mastercard now‘.
28. Ikuti dan isi setiap tahapnya dan beri tanda centang kotak yang sesuai dengan Anda.
29. Dibagian terakhir Anda akan diminta untuk mengisi ID, isilah dengan no: KTP/SIM atau passport Anda.

Dengan cara inilah kita bisa memiliki kartu debit Mastercard melalui Payoneer. Karena kalau kita langsung daftar

INSTALASI UBUNTU 8.04

Instalasi Ubuntu 8.04

1. Boot dari CD Room

Masuk BIOS, biasanya menggunakan tombol del atau F1 atau  F2 tergantung pada jenis motherboard yang dipakai untuk mode BIOS. Kemudian pastikan First Boot adalah CD/DVDROM

1. Masukkan CD instalasi ubuntu8.04 pastikan booting melaui CDROM dan pilih install ubuntu 8.04 kalau hanya ingin mencoba ubuntu pilih try ubuntu 8.04
2. Tampil pilihan bahasa. Terserah pilih mana …….. next
3. Lokasi, pilih lokasi pada peta atau cari sendiri dengan manual yang sesuai atau keinginan saudara kalau kita di Indonesia pilih Indonesia.
4. Keyboard layout biasanya USA, sesuai dengan keyboard yang anda pakai sekarang.
5. Partisi pilihlah yang manual, minimal untuk penginstallan ubuntu 8.04 butuh 4 GB(tapi disarankan lebih dari 4 GB), dan nanti akan terbentuk dua partisi yaitu satu untuk root kedua untuk swap.
6. Isikan username dan password sesuai keinginan anda.
7. Migarsi document  and setting.
8. Tekan  install dan tunggu sampai selesai… untuk itu anda bisa menunggunya sambil mencuci baju atau minum kopi.

Basic command line

Manajeman file instalasi help, manual page mounting

1. Management File
   1. List

Melihat daftar file dan direktori

ls  [option] <path>

contoh : ls , ls /home

option : -l, -a, dan lain – lain

1. Copy

cp [option] [destination]

contoh : cp /dev/sda1/doc

option : -r / -R, -t, -s dan lainya

1. Move

mv [option] [destination]

mv file.doc /dev/sda1/doc

option : -r –t dan lainya

1. Remove

rm [option] file

contoh : rm file_hapus.txt

option : -r, -d dan lainya

1. Instalasi
   1. Online

Ketika instalasi langsung lewat internet

apt-get install nama peket

contoh : apt-get install compiz

1. Offline

-          file berekstensi .deb

dkpg –i namafile.deb

contoh : dkpg –i libc6.deb

-          file tar (ekstensi .tar.gz dan tar.bz2

ekstraksi file

.tar.gz   tar –xvzf  namafile

.tar.bz2   tar –xvjf  namafile

Install

./configure

Makec

make install

1. help atau manual page
   1. man

command line untuk menampilkan penjelasan dari suatu command

man <command>

contoh : man cp

1. help

option untuk mencari tahu cara penggunaan dari sebuah command

<command> -h atau <command>  –help

Coontoh : ps –h  atau uname –help

1. mounting
   1. mount

flash disk

mount –t filesystem source dest

contoh : mount –t vfat /dev/sdb1 /home/lab/flash

Hardisk

Mount   /dev/sda1

1. unmount

umount <drive>

contoh :

umount  /dev/sda1

umount  /media/sda1sc

Virus Conficker

Common name Conficker
Aliases

* Win32/Conficker.A (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)

Classification Highly Dangerous
Type Computer Worm
Subtype Computer Virus
Author(s)

Conficker, also known as Downup, Downadup and Kido, is a computer worm that surfaced in October 2008 and targets the Microsoft Windows operating system.[1] The worm exploits a known vulnerability in the Windows Server service used by Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and the Windows 7 Beta.

Operation

The Conficker worm spreads itself primarily through a buffer overflow vulnerability in the Server Service on Windows computers. The worm uses a specially crafted RPC request to execute code on the target computer.

When executed on a computer, Conficker disables a number of system services such as Windows Automatic Update, Windows Security Center, Windows Defender and Windows Error Reporting.

It receives further instructions by connecting to a server. The instructions it receives may include to propagate, gather personal information and to download and install additional malware onto the victim’s computer. The worm also attaches itself to certain Windows processes such as svchost.exe, explorer.exe and services.exe.

The worm seems to implement some of the ideas presented by Fucs, Paes de Barros e Pereira at the Blackhat Briefings Europe 2007, specifically: digitally signed additional payload, use of PRNG for communication and P2P communication.

Payload

The “A” variant of Conficker will create an HTTP server and open a random port between 1024 and 10000. If the remote machine is exploited successfully, the victim will connect back to the HTTP server and download a worm copy. It will also reset System Restore points, and download files to the target computer.

Symptoms of infection

* Account lockout policies being reset automatically.
* Certain Microsoft Windows services such as Automatic Updates, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Windows Defender and Error Reporting Services are automatically disabled.
* Domain controllers respond slowly to client requests.
* System network gets unusually congested. This can be checked with network traffic chart on Windows Task Manager.
* On websites related to antivirus software, Windows system updates cannot be accessed.
* Launches a brute force dictionary attack against administrator passwords to help it spread through ADMIN$ shares, making choice of sensible passwords advisable.

Impact

Experts say it is the worst infection since the SQL Slammer. Estimates of the number of computers infected range from almost 9 million PCs (by CNN and antivirus software vendor F-Secure, 1/16/2009 ) to 15 million computers (The Independent newspaper, 1/25/2009).

Another antivirus software vendor, Panda Security, reported that of the 2 million computers analyzed through ActiveScan, around 115,000 (6%) were infected with this malware.

The potential scale of infection is large because 30 percent of Windows computers do not have the Microsoft Windows patch released in October 2008 to block this vulnerability.

The U.K. Ministry of Defence reported that some of its major systems and desktops were infected. The worm has spread across administrative offices, NavyStar/N* desktops aboard various Royal Navy warships and Royal Navy submarines, and Hospitals across the city of Sheffield reported infection of over 800 computers.

On February 6, 2009, the computers used by the Houston Municipal Courts were infected with Conficker. How the virus got into the system is unknown.[21]

On February 13 the Bundeswehr reported that some hundred of their computers were infected.

Response

On February 12, 2009, Microsoft announced the formation of a technology industry collaboration to combat the effects of Conficker. Organizations involved in this collaborative effort include Microsoft, Afilias, ICANN, Neustar, Verisign, CNNIC, Public Internet Registry, Global Domains International, Inc., M1D Global, AOL, Symantec, F-Secure, ISC, researchers from Georgia Tech, The Shadowserver Foundation, Arbor Networks and Support Intelligence.

As of February 13, 2009, Microsoft is offering a $250,000 USD reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the criminals behind the creation and/or distribution of Conficker.

Patching and removal

On 15 October 2008 Microsoft released a patch (MS08-067) to fix the vulnerability. Removal tools are available from Microsoft, BitDefender, ESET, Symantec, Sophos, and Kaspersky Lab, while McAfee and AVG can remove it with an on-demand scan. While Microsoft has released patches for the later Windows XP Service Packs 2 and 3 and Windows 2000 SP4 and Vista, it has not released any patch for Windows XP Service Pack 1 or earlier versions (excluding Windows 2000 SP4), as the support period for these service packs has expired. Since the virus can spread via USB drives that trigger AutoRun, disabling the AutoRun feature for external media (through modifying the Windows Registry) is recommended. However the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team describe Microsoft’s guidelines on disabling Autorun as being “not fully effective,” and they provide their own guides. Microsoft has released a removal guide for the worm via the Microsoft website.

Also, on March 16, 2009, BitDefender released an updated tool to remove the already famous Downadup/Conficker worm on a new domain that has not been blocked by the malicious computer code at a website called “bdtools.net”.

Apart from the fact that the BitDefender tool removes the latest and most resilient to disinfection release of the virus, it also comes as a separate installer dedicated to network administrators. In this way, the scanner can be dispatched throughout networks in order to remotely scan and disinfect workstations.