Conficker - be afraid!

I was asked for my "professional opinion" on the Conficker worm, and while my original thought was to twitter it, there is no way I can address my concerns in 140 characters.

Quite simply, Conficker is a very scary worm, for several reasons:

• millions of machines have been infected using a bug for which there is a PUBLISHED FIX.
• the authors of Conficker have made several revisions to address weaknesses and make the worm stronger
• we still have NO IDEA what, if anything, will happen on April 1

In short, this is a nasty piece of code that has a HUGE footprint around the world, and is sitting there waiting for the "bad guys" to decide what they want to do.  If they are smart, and so far they appear to be, they will likely not launch some massive attack on 4/1, but will instead remain under the radar, using the infected machines to launch other attacks, steal information, send SPAM, and basically function as a "for rent" platform for various illegal activities.

Everyone, right now, should read the prior posts on my blog to make sure your systems are protected!

And keep an eye on things on Wednesday - it will be, at the least, a very interesting day for those of us in the InfoSec world!

Infosec security tip #2 - get good antivirus software

Now that your computer is up to date with all of the latest Microsoft patches, it's time to protect your system from virusus, worms, and spyware.  Having good antivirus software is MANDATORY for all computer systems these days - you simply cannot survive without it.  Consider it as essential as the power cord.

There are many options available today in the AV arena, but the best choices are those that do more than just antivirus.  The following components are required to protect a system today:

* antivirus

* antispyware

* firewall

* intrusion detection

* technical support

Optional features are:

* intrusion prevention

* whitelisting

* content filtering

* file backup

One of my favorite programs is Norton Internet Security 2009 (link to Amazon), which is currently listed for $40 for use on 3 computers for a year.  That is only $13/year/pc, and again, view this as a mandatory program.

If you are currently running AV software, make sure that it is enabled and that you are getting updates.  Most software is sold with a 1-year subscription, so if you got it a while back, make sure you are still getting updates.

To check, you should have an icon in the lower-right corner of the screen for your AV software.  Double-click it and make sure that you have a virus signature update and that it is current.  If not, head to Best Buy or Amazon and get a new copy NOW!!!

Infosec security tip #1 - keep your computer up to date

The single best thing you can do to protect your computer and your data is to ensure that your system is up to date.  If you don't do this, NOTHING else really matters!  Think of this like keeping gas in your gas tank - no matter how often you wash and wax your car, if you don't have gas in it, you aren't going anywhere.

NOTE - I am assuming you are running Windows.  If you are running Linux or another operating system, this won't apply to you.

The first step is to identify what version of Windows you are running.  To do this, click on the Start menu or the Windows icon in the lower-left corner of your screen.  Then, right-click on "My Computer" or "Computer" and click "Properties."

We are looking for one of the following:

Windows XP

Windows Vista

Windows 7

If you see Windows 2000, ME, or 98, you are in deep trouble, and you need to upgrade NOW, as those versions are no longer supported and are not secure at all.  Be careful with the upgrade, however, as your computer hardware may not work well with the newer operating sytsems.

Assuming you are running a supported operating system, now we need to make sure that you have all of the latest updates.  So, click this link to go to the Microsoft update site:

http://update.microsoft.com

You may have to do several downloads and reboots to get everything working - keep doing the update until you run it and it says you don't have any more updates waiting.

Now, tell your computer to update automatically.  Again, click on the "Start" menu, and right-click on "My Computer."  Select the "Windows Update" option and set your computer to automatically download and install updates.

Leave your computer on at night, and you will always be up to date!  

Doing these simple steps ensures that your computer is immune to many of the security risks, and all if it is done at no cost to you!

About my "title"

For the past several years, I have been doing occasional appearances on KFAB's morning show, thanks to Roger Olson.  While I do work for a company that provides computer security solutions, I am not a spokesperson for that company, and as such do not identify that company when discussing security issues with the general public.  At some point on the show, I became "Jeff Guilfoyle, our very own Internet security guy," which works fine for me!

Welcome to infosecjeff blog

Welcome to the latest incarnation of my security blog.  Over the past few years, I've used several different options for spreading information about the state of Internet security risks and remediations - and this is the latest one.  Check back often for word of the latest threats and how you can protect yourself.  Look in the coming days for some of the "basics" - like how to keep your system up to date and protect your private information.