Are Conficker Removal Tools Powerful Enough to Stop Its Malicious Activity?

It seems that the Conficker epidemic is not going to end. Well, at least in the near future. We have been constantly updating information about new attacks of Conficker worldwide but it looks that the creator (or creators) of this parasite are not going to stop. And the thing that makes everybody scared is the fact that it is not yet clear who will win the fight between security experts and the evil author(s) of the Conficker worm.

The latest variant of the treat - Conficker.C - was released in the first week of March. Ben Greenbaum, senior research manager for Symantec Security Response, noted that this variant of the malware can disable several security services, block access to a number of security web sites and download a Trojan. Moreover, zombie computers are programmed to try to connect to 50,000 domains for further instructions on April 1st to receive updated copies or other malware. Earlier Conficker versions connect to 250 domains a day.

Nobody knows, well... except for the creator(s) of this malware, what will really happen on April 1st. Nobody is sure whether this is a real threat or just a trick of Fools Day. Anyway, the fact that this malware can really do terrible things makes everyone frightened. Most probably the best case scenario would be if Conficker were to be used as a profitable platform for massive Internet theft and fraud. And we can only image what could happen in the worst case: Conficker could stop the work of governmental institutions, disrupt whole countries and even the Internet itself.

Computer security experts are doing their best to stop the spread of Conficker and prevent its potential damage. Various security companies have released Conficker removal tools. And it is rather difficult for an ordinary user to choose the best and most suitable one. Therefore, I decided to make a simple research of four different Conficker removal tools provided by reliable companies. I simply tested their effectiveness in removing Conficker from the infected machine.

I infected a computer with the Conficker worm and then tested each of the following removal tools:

• Microsoft® Windows® Malicious Software Removal Tool (KB890830)
• Symantec Conficker Removal Tool
• BitDefender Conficker Removal tool
• Enigma Software Group Conficker Removal Tool

My aim was to see if any (or all) of these tools detect Conficker and remove it from the infected computer. You can see the whole process in the 4 videos below (one video for each removal tool). I have to admit that two tools didn't detect Conficker, well at least in my infected computer. One removal tool detected and removed Conficker but several of its symptoms were left. Finally, one program removed this malware from my infected computer with only several traces left. So I can say that neither of these programs is perfect, but companies are really trying to do their best in order to win the battle against Conficker's creators. Hopefully, they will succeed.

Symantec tool

Enigma Software Group tool

BitDefender Tool

Microsoft Tool