Security group releases new Conficker figures

 

Telstra hosts most infected users in Australia.

A US-based not-for-profit internet security group has released figures that show just how infected Australians are with the Conficker worm.

Released last month by security group Shadowserver, the figures show infected Internet Protocol addresses and how infected individual internet service providers’ (ISP) users are.

The nation’s largest telco Telstra had the most infected users, with a total of 3,718 IP addresses infected with various variants of the worm.

In second place was Optus, with 2,230, followed by TPG with 1,147 infected users.

A complete list of infected ISPs can be found on the Shadowserver web site.

Conflicker was first detected in November 2008. The worm spreads to computers through a flaw in Microsoft’s operating system.

It’s spreading so much so that Microsoft is offering a US$250,000 (AUD$278,000) reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those behind its creation and distribution.

Shadowserver works with the Conficker Working Group formed by Microsoft to combat the effects of the worm.

“As recently as late October 2009, the number of systems infected with the A+B+C variants topped seven million,” wrote co founder and director, Andre' M. DiMino.

"We thought it would be of interest to illustrate the depth and extent of how Conficker truly affects a worldwide scope of providers."

Previously, the security group had publicly released figures to show how infected the world was with the Conficker worm.


Security group releases new Conficker figures
"I also think that Bigpond users are probably the most uninformed about exactly how to use software and patches etc. I agree with he 256/200 comment as well, in that it would not allow for patches ..."
By Digger11
 
 
 
Comments: 7
greg27
Jan 5, 2010 12:35 AM
Is it really such a shock that the largest ISP hosts the most infected users?
bengrubb
Jan 5, 2010 12:40 AM
Not at all.

After all, I'm sure they have the most users :).

The stats are interesting though.
TanyaHall
Jan 5, 2010 10:19 AM
How was the virus released in "November last year" but your quote talks about the number of infected computers in October 2009?
bengrubb
Jan 5, 2010 10:48 AM
@TanyaHall November 2008 that should be. Fixed. This was to go up in 2009.

Edited by bengrubb: 5/1/2010 10:49:34 AM
TanyaHall
Jan 5, 2010 10:54 AM
Ta for clarifying!
M1-A2
Jan 5, 2010 4:48 PM
Keeping in mind that a long history of offering 256kb/200mb per month broadband does not encourage patching!

It's the least technical people who have had these plans and they are the ones that need to patch most!
Digger11
Jan 6, 2010 10:59 AM
I also think that Bigpond users are probably the most uninformed about exactly how to use software and patches etc. I agree with he 256/200 comment as well, in that it would not allow for patches to be D/Led, especially if you are charged 15cmb for xs data !
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