The Conficker worm has infected several million computers since it first started spreading in late 2008. In this paper German developers presented several potential methods to repel Conficker. The approaches presented take advantage of the way Conficker patches infected systems, which can be used to remotely detect a compromised system.

Use Linux to do a quick scan of your network. The new beta version of nmap can scan your network for conficker activity. This is a quick easy way to check to see if you are infected; Beware there may be some false positives but at least this will start you down the path of detection.

Whenever the Conficker worm comes up here on OSNews (or any other site for that matter) there are always a number of people who point their fingers towards Redmond, stating that it's their fault Conifcker got out.

University of Utah stormed by the Conficker worm, which affects Microsoft Windows

When tools for fighting against Conficker only run on GNU/Linux. COMPANIES WHOSE machines leak sensitive data, attack other machines, and cause other forms of sabotage need not fret. They can finally assess the damage already done, if any. They will, however, need to get hold of GNU/Linux first.

Damn Vulnerable Linux – The most vulnerable and exploitable operating system ever! Damn Vulnerable Linux is the most complete training environment for IT security with over 500.000 downloads. It includes all tools you need ready to go. Additionally tons of training material and exercises are included.

I hadn't thought about it for a while, but given the recent Conficker outbreak, I got to rethink of the whole thing again. Now.... there was something that bothered me A LOT.... and it still does (though I'm not working with them anymore, I still feel like I'm a part of the family). They are still developing applications in-house using proprietary frameworks tied to Windows.

Why I stay away from Windows? --One of the main reasons is security, or the lack of it. Windows operating system is simply far more vulnerable to viruses and worms compared to Linux or Mac OS X. I don’t want to explain further or start a debate here, but I’ll just let this all time list of 12 most devastating viruses and worms do the talking.

This is the first in a series about how versatile Python is and the many use-cases for this scripting language.

The first article covers the use of Python for the conficker scanner by Tillmann Werner of honeynet.org.