Stuxnet removal tool released by BitDefender

BitDefender has announced the release of a Stuxnet removal tool.

It claimed that the tool is capable of removing all known variants of the computer worm plus the rootkit drivers that are used to conceal critical components of it.

The worm infects all Windows-based systems but primarily targets supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems that run the Siemens WinCC software. It can execute itself from an infected removable medium as soon as the .lnk file on the drive has been read by the operating system. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability results in the injection of a backdoor, as well as the installation of two rootkits that will conceal both the .lnk files and the accompanying .tmp files.

Catalin Cosoi, head of the BitDefender online threats lab, said: “Users who are not protected by a BitDefender security solution can now also eliminate Stuxnet from their infected systems. The tool can be run on both 32- and 64-bit installations and it will eliminate both the rootkit drivers and the worm.”

The Stuxnet Removal Tool can be downloaded from the Removal Tools section of www.malwarecity.com, a BitDefender initiative for the software security community and a free resource for those interested in their online security.

See original article on scmagazineus.com