01/22/2009

Virus Protection Warning about Autorun.exe (more on Downandup / Conficker)

Kevin R. Smith
Co-Editor

Some readers may be unfamiliar with US-CERT. US-CERT is a big deal. It's the official United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team.

As a division of the Department of Homeland Security, they're charged with helping keep U.S. citizens' computers safe.

This week, in their revised advisory on Downandup / Conficker, they announced that the recommendations from Microsoft to help protect yourself from the worm are "not fully effective." Ouch.

We originally covered the Downandup / Conficker worm after Computerworld revealed 1 in 3 PCs was still vulnerable.

Considering that Microsoft issued a Downandup / Conficker alert and a worm patch way back in October 2008, the responsibility for the worms spread can't really be put at Microsoft's feet. They issued an "out-of-cycle" (i.e. emergency) patch for it, it's up to us as consumers to take action.

Lastly, lest it go unsaid, remember that firewalls and antivirus software alone are not enough to keep your PC safe. You have to keep it--and all your software--patched, too.