How to Remove the Conficker worm (AKA Downup, Downadup and Kido)

Posted by ramm on 1 April, 2009
This post was filed in How to remove and has 2 comments

The conficker worm has been around since October 2008, it’s known under the name of conficker, confiquer, downup, downadup and kido.  Conficker targets windows based computers by exploiting a vulnerability in the Windows Server service used by most flavors of windows.

Since it’s release in late 2008, the conficker worm is believed to have infected over 10 million computers.

What are the symptoms?

Some of the most common symptoms are:

  • Account lockout policies are automatically reset
  • Windows services like Automatic Updates, Windows Defender, Error Reporting Service are disabled
  • Local networks get congested
  • It may restrict you from accessing security related websites (thus not allowing you to download removal tools)

How does it propagate?

  • Through the exploitation of unpatched security vulnerabilities
  • It spreads itself by using shared folders in local networks
  • By using the autoplay feature in removable disks, such as memory cards and some USB devices

How to prevent an infection

  • Use windows automatic updates to stay up to date with the latest patches
  • Always use an active protection like an Antivirus and keep it updates, Antivirus companies release updates on daily basis. Avast! and AVG offer great free versions
  • Run anti-malware tools like Spybot S&D or MalwareBytes every other week
  • Don’t visit unsecured sites (this includes porn/warez sites) and watch out for what you are downloading, p2p networks can be highly dangerous if not used properly
  • Stay away from “Free Web Scanners/Antiviruses”

How to remove conficker

Once a computer is infected, accessing removal tools may be complicated, if this is your case, download one of the tools listed below on a clean computer and copy it on a USB drive or CD, if possible run this tool in windows safe mode.

The best way to remove the conficker worm is by using a dedicated removal tool or by running an updated antivirus.

Here are some standalone removal tools that you can use to remove conficker (free):

Are you having a hard time removing the Conficker worm? post a comment and we will help you.

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2 Comments on “How to Remove the Conficker worm (AKA Downup, Downadup and Kido)”

  • Rob
    8 April, 2009, 16:26

    Holy cow. These spyware and viruses these days are getting more complicated. It’s not that they’re so difficult to remove, but repairing the damage they’ve done can be very time consuming. I recently had a Denver customer bring me a computer with internet connection problems. No problems were detected by spyware and virus checkers, but the damage was evident. It finally took a program called, SDFIX to solve it. You can spend literally hours searching virus and spyware forums to solve some of these buggers.

  • DOWNADUP, CONFICKER , KIDO
    24 April, 2009, 0:01

    Correct. Its better to go for any of dedicated removal tool to get removed conficker worm.

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