Microsoft vs Conficker: AutoRun can be disabled
Thursday, February 26, 2009
In its ongoing effort to bring down the Conficker worm, Microsoft has finally fixed a problem that will allow users to disable the AutoRun feature on their machines.
The patch, which was issued on Tuesday, prevents the NoDriveTypeAutoRun registry key from functioning when users try to disable AutoRun. If not disabled, the feature allows files or programs to immediately run as soon as a removable media device, such as a USB stick, is connected to the computer.
Last month US-CERT issued a warning that Windows did not properly disable AutoRun.
Recently it was reported a new variant of Conficker was out, deemed Conficker B++, which allowed the worm to publish new code without using pre-programmed sites. Prior to this, the worm used an algorithm to find various rendezvous points, which used unique domain names.
Earlier this month, Microsoft formed an alliance with security organizations to collect domain names possibly targeted by the worm. The company has also announced a $250,000 reward for any information that would lead to the arrest of the person or group responsible for Conficker.
At least 12 million machines worldwide have been compromised by the worm.
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