Last week the world cried out in horror as the clock struck midnight on April 1 and the infamous Conficker virus, which has infected millions of PCs worldwide, did…nothing. That's right, the Conficker worm woke up, poked around for a while, and then continued to just "hang out" in the countless PCs it has infected. But, after a week of waiting, users began to feel Conficker start to slither around in their PCs (figuratively, of course) and researchers have now discovered what they believe to be Conficker's primary function: making money.
Conficker started doing stuff yesterday, like communicating with host servers and downloading new malicious software. One item of malware (one of many, researchers believe) that is now digging its way into a user's OS is a fraudulent anti-virus software that claims to remove the virus…for a fee. The fake software, Spyware Protect 2009, installs itself into an afflicted PC, and through a legitimate-looking user interface, convinces users to spend $49.95 of their hard-earned cash to rid themselves and their machine of the virus, which, of course, it doesn't.
Another bot riding piggyback on Conficker is Waledac, a virus designed to steal sensitive user data and circulate spam.
Long story short, folks, is that Conficker isn't over.
source
Conficker started doing stuff yesterday, like communicating with host servers and downloading new malicious software. One item of malware (one of many, researchers believe) that is now digging its way into a user's OS is a fraudulent anti-virus software that claims to remove the virus…for a fee. The fake software, Spyware Protect 2009, installs itself into an afflicted PC, and through a legitimate-looking user interface, convinces users to spend $49.95 of their hard-earned cash to rid themselves and their machine of the virus, which, of course, it doesn't.
Another bot riding piggyback on Conficker is Waledac, a virus designed to steal sensitive user data and circulate spam.
Long story short, folks, is that Conficker isn't over.
source
