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Tech Check
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As computer users around the celebrate the 10th anniversary of that dreaded Melissa virus today, there's a new, arguably far more dire threat upon us and it is known as Conficker.
If you haven't heard of this thing yet, you will.
One side of the computer security world says the virus is scheduled to wreak havoc on millions of computers come April 1. The other side says, "Hey, no big deal!"
The scary part (cue the music): It's likely pretty real.
Conficker drills into PCs running Microsoft Windows. Apple and Linux users rejoice: You've dodged another bullet. The disabling virus takes advantage of several security holes in the Windows operating system, and while it's possible to detect and destroy it with off-the-shelf security software, new versions of the virus can actually disable those anti-virus defenses. And there are plenty of new variants. About 12 million computers overseas have already been hit, and the US is scheduled next on April 1st. The virus was so serious that it grounded the French Air Force last month. So serious that Microsoft offered a $250,000 bounty on the heads of the Conficker creators.
What happens when it hits? Worst case scenario is that infected computers would fall under the control of those responsible for the virus. They can steal information, or use your computer to do illegal things. Either way, it's not good.
As you might expect, Microsoft, Verisign, Trend Micro, McAfee, Symantec, and just about anyone else in the antivirus market, is ginnying up a kind of heavily armed Geek Squad to take this on. At this point however, it's just not clear how successful they might be. Viruses are a funny business because they offer up big time opportunities for the companies that can cure them, both big and small.
So enter Enigma and its founder Alvin Estevez. "We've had an international team of programmers working round-the-clock to design this fix," he says. "Microsoft's own fixes were not completely effective but we've been able to find the basic structure of the virus and we're providing the 'fix' to those who've been infected for free." The fix is available free for download on the company's website.
Patrick Morganelli, senior vice president of technology at Enigma, tells me the virus is a big deal. "At least more than 5 million computers" have the latest variant of the virus on them already, and millions more have the older versions. He's also honest about its impact, too: "I don't think it will cripple the internet when the time-bomb goes off" but there will definitely be big effects. Anyone who uses credit cards online, or sends confidential emails, or stores sensitive data on their hard drive should take steps to protect themselves, he says.
He suspects this is part of an elaborate extortion ring, that the virus writers will unleash this virus and then demand individuals pay for the electronic antidote. Information theft is also a very real possibility, along with malicious access to personal, PC hard drives, he says.
The Microsofts and Symantecs have tried to come up with solutions to this, but Enigma says its "behavioral approach" to the symptoms this virus creates, has worked on every variant of Conficker. "Since this is a big problem, we just figured we'd make it available to the world, and a way for us to get our name out as well, in addition to being a good neighbor." He'd also like people to buy the company's SpyHunter full-tool as well if they're happy with the free version.
Enigma says already as many as 50,000 people have downloaded its free software.
Nothing like a big time virus to turbo-charge your business. But unlike virus hunters of the past, Enigma is taking a soft-sell, reasonable approach, which is kind of refreshing: You want to protect yourself. Here's a free option. It works. The virus won't be the end of the world, but its real. And you eliminate the threat for free. If you want. And here's an option.
Midnight April 1 is just a few days away. And this apparently is no April Fools.
Questions? Comments?
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