University Computer Help Desk

Overview of the Conficker virus

This article provides an overview of the Conficker virus and Illinois State University's response to it.

What is the Conficker virus?

Conficker (also known as Downadup) is a virus which infects computers in a few ways:

  • It exploits a known security hole in Windows. This issue was patched by Microsoft on October 23, 2008.
  • Conficker also spreads by attempting to break weak passwords so it can copy itself onto computers.
  • It can also copy itself onto unprotected shared folders and onto USB devices.

Protect Your Computer

To protect your computer against Conficker, make sure you have installed all critical security updates from Microsoft. Also make sure you are running an updated version of McAfee VirusScan. Conficker spreads to computers that are unpatched—if your computer is up to date, it should not get infected by Conficker.

Critical Security Updates from Microsoft

If you use Windows, you should always make sure you have the latest updates from Microsoft, which are released each month. The easiest way to do this is to configure your computer to automatically download and install critical security updates.

Student computers on ResNet are already configured to automatically download and install critical security updates. University-owned computers in campus offices are also often configured in this manner. Faculty and staff who are concerned about their office workstations should contact their local technical support staff.

To verify that your computer is configured to automatically download updates from Microsoft, refer to:

McAfee VirusScan 8.7i

You should also make sure you are running an up-to-date version of McAfee VirusScan. We recommend using McAfee VirusScan 8.7i. If you don't already have it installed, you can download from the Help Desk website at no cost (a valid ULID and password are required).

To detect and clean Conficker, make sure McAfee VirusScan is running DAT 5568 or higher.

If you think your computer is infected with Conficker, scan your computer with McAfee VirusScan.

Illinois State University's Response to Conficker

In addition to information found in this knowledge base article and information posted to the campus Tech Alerts website, Illinois State's intrusion prevention system has filters in place to block the spread of the Conficker virus.

The enterprise-level McAfee VirusScan appliance that protects the central campus mail system has also been updated to detect the Conficker virus.

More Information

If your computer is clean (i.e. uninfected), is updated with critical security updates from Microsoft, and has an up-to-date version of McAfee VirusScan, you should not get infected by Conficker.

If you are running a Mac computer, you should not get infected by Conficker. Only Windows computers are susceptible to Conficker.

For more information about Conficker, refer to: