"60 Minutes" freaks out over Conficker. Where's John Hodgman when you need him?

I love "60 Minutes," but sometimes it just makes you scratch your head. Isn't anyone working there who has any sophistication when it comes to technology? Lesley Stahl just finished a 15-minute freakout on the dangers of the Conficker virus, dangers which many information experts say have been blown way out of proportion ... especially by reports like the one that just aired on "60 Minutes." The segment producer would have done well to read the much less hysterical Conficker FAQ from CNet ... that's now appearing on the "60 Minutes" Conficker's story page. (CBS owns CNet.)

I'll leave it to the interwebs' approximately 10 million computer experts to dissect Stahl's script line by line (as Paul Harris pointed out a while ago, she is the queen of the obvious). But as a media guy, I couldn't help but notice that CBS has had millions of dollars thrown at it by Microsoft Windows for a new ad campaign running during the NCAA tournament. And yet, I waited in vain for any mention in the "60 Minutes" story of the fact that the only computers capable of being infected by the dreaded Conficker virus were PCs running Windows.

Just to amuse myself, I started doing a variation on the old fortune-cookie game -- you know, where you tack on "...in bed" at the end of random sentences, usually after having one too many drinks? Tonight, I hit the pause button on the TiVo and finished Stahl's sentences with "... on a PC." Even Mrs. TVB thought it was kinda funny. (For a while. Then, annoying.)

Hey, I don't want to totally discount the idea that CBS is doing a public service here. Maybe tonight, a lot of 50-plussers will update their security software or lock up that wi-fi they've been sharing with the neighborhood. I suppose that's all for the good. Still, I wonder if anyone bothered to inform Lauren, the 30-trying-to-look-like-22-year-old featured in those Windows ads, that her $700 Windows box could get infected with Conficker -- but a Mac, or a PC with non-MS-manufactured Linux as the operating system, can't?

AUDIO: Chip Franklin and I talked about the story this morning on KOGO Radio in San Diego.

UPDATE: This company claims it can knock out Conficker.

Comments

[Mike Beckham]

No but then the 60 year old with the Mac wouldn't get screwed out of $40 for unnecessary Virus protection would he?

[Clif]

You put into words some of the same thoughts I had during the 60 minutes segment. I kept waiting for mention of the effect of the operating system on risk.
I noticed that the one domestic example that the 60 Minute segment referenced was a family with a teenager. I wish somebody would do a statistical analysis on the increased risk for those households with teenagers in the family. It's been my casual observation that families with teenagers have a significantly increased exposure to malware.

[Cindy]

Has anyone noticed that if you change the spelling of conficker, it spells efin crock? April 1st people...

[john reim]

The 50 something crack was unnecessary. Like the only people who are blessed with computer knowledge are under 50. Most of us were hacking computers before your were a sparkle in your daddy's eye. Many of the under 30's group (particularly those under 20) have terrible practices, because they think the computer is just another appliance.

[More a nod to the target demo of "60 Minutes" who might actually buy the scare.--AB]

[rjr]

Of course Windows is the target computer. The default user accounts are administrator level. Even if it would "hit" Macs or Linux boxes those systems make you install a separate account for root access versus general user. Take away the main point of entry and most burglars go to the next house. Shame Microsoft doesn't understand this - even for home users.

[Dale Baker]

This is why I read this site. It was like you were in my head!

[Eludium-Q36]

You lost me at "I love 60 Minutes". Are you kidding?! That show is a pale shadow of its former self when CEOs and govt officials trembled when contacted. Now it's just a cush gig for retired news anchors, so it's not at all surprising that not only have they over-reacted and/or mis-reported this but don't even have the journalistic insight to know it.

[Tom]

The vulnerability that Confickr exploits was patched in October of last year (see http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-067.mspx). Moral of the story: Keep your computer updated, you won't have these sorts of problems. Better yet, let Windows Update do it for you.

[Allen]

Windows is the target because it has near monopoly market share. Linux and OSX are just too insignificant to be really worth the effort.

The irony is that encouraging people to move away from MS, you're actually bringing the day when Linux or OSX begin to be seriously targeted.

Meanwhile, MS under constant threat is continuously being improved while the others sit in comfortable complacency, having never really been tested.

[I'm guessing you are under 30. In fact, as people who used Macs in the 1980s are well aware, viruses used to target the Mac all the time. (Interestingly, a volunteer at Northwestern University created a free program called Disinfectant that took care of most of them.) As you'll read below in other comments, viruses don't pose a serious threat to Unix-based systems, including Mac OS X, because they've been weeded out -- something MS in its drive for profits has never bothered to do. --AB]

[Jim Snell]

Glad you completed the lack of reporting 60 Minutes did. 'Cause I don't know that much about computers (just use 'em, like cars) and I kept thinking: "yeah, but this has nothing to do with my Mac, right?" But Stahl never said one way or 'nother. Back to Reporting 101.

Have to add quick that when I used a PC, I updated the virus software all the time, still got viruses now and then... and the anti-virus software slowed down the computer worse than the viruses! Glad I'm done with that.

[Mike Beckham]

No, OSX is built on UNIX. It's not comparable. Apples and Oranges, sure there might be more junk out there but its still a far more solid OS.

[Tracey]

You can avoid Conficker by using a Mac. Check.
You can avoid Conficker by updating your Windows software. Check.

But estimates still place the number of infected computers at 3 million. The CNet FAQ suggests it's probably not a threat because blowing up the internet isn't going to make the hackers any more money. Fair enough - but I still don't like the idea of having a Russian-made worm lurking on that many machines. We know Russians have used hacking to attack Eastern European enemies, we know the Chinese are doing the same to people they don't like; I watched the 60 Minutes piece (watched for the Lebron story, which turned out to be a little bit of a disappointment) and didn't think it was particularly alarmist.

[J.]

It's always wise not to be complacent, but on that last point about the majority market share and it not being "worth the effort" to attack OS X or Linux, that's not entirely true.

Mac OS X and Linux really ARE more secure. Their Unix core, which also runs most of the world's mainframes and makes it quite a target indeed, is not just more stable but has a permissions-based infrastructure that's harder for a malware writer to break.

See here:
http://gizmodo.com/5101337/giz-explains-why-os-x-shrugs-off-viruses-off-better-than-windows

[Jane]

Allen has it right. Which OS are people running the most? Windows. Clearly, there are millions that need to hear the message and grandstanding won't change the fact that not everyone runs a Mac and therefore, they are automagically secure. It's not that big a deal that she didn't specifically say "Oh, it's only Windows".

[So scare everybody, right? Good thinking. --AB]

[Frank]

I am over 50 and I spent most of my career writting imbedded code for networking gear and software for internet applications. Most of my mentors are retired now.

[Well, they probably didn't get as sweet a deal as Vint Cerf, I'm guessing the opposite, in fact. Hey, there's nothing wrong with being over 50 -- I'm just saying the "60 MInutes" audience is largely made up of 50-plussers and I guess the show figured they'd be good for a scare. I'd be delighted to learn of a massive backlash among viewers, trust me! --AB]

[Mr. N, CISSP, C]

Agree with Tom,

If OS X is so secure then why the continuous security patches.

Read & learn:

http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid14_gci1350613,00.html

I guarantee you that if Russian & Chinese hacker groups wanted to target Mac's they would have no problem doing so.

[Melanie Ross]

I've read that a MacBook can be hacked into in ten seconds ~ so how could the Mac be so safe? ARE there any viruses or malware that CAN be placed into a Mac? My MacBook is running as though it's got a virus ~ is that possible? Possibly thru using Craigs List?

[Allen Morrison]

Do you suppose that the non-mention of Macintosh and Unix had something to do with "the millions of dollars recently thrown at CBS by Microsoft"? CBS could have sold a billion Macs today if it had wanted. I thought the show was largely a promotion for Symantec.

[James]

Hi,

Good article. Sophos' Conficker removal tool can detect and remove all variants of the worm/virus.

As long as people run these tools it should stop any serious outbreak.

James

[Robert Nagle]

Don't be silly. If you take the time to install and configure a security suite and make sure you update your system, getting stung by viruses and crapware is highly unlikely. How long does it take to set that up --5 minutes? Should Lauren be "warned" about that?

Maybe the news report should have said, "Of course, you wouldn't even have to worry about this vulnerability if you had Automatic Updates enabled and had a modicum of common sense."

Certain vulnerable populations (and I would include the elderly among them) use old OS's, use dialup, don't set up updates automatically, so it affects them disproportionately. The dialup thing is a factor; it discourages them from enabling auto updates.

It's foolish to paint this as a Windows issue; it's a user education issue.

[Elvis X.Presley]

I suspect viruses,trojans,worms,bots and spam are created and propagated by the very same people that charge you to get rid of them,or sell software to Ha! remove them.

Just when you thought the human race could sink no lower-
the bar is lowered.

[John Altevogt]

I switched to Macs after Microsoft installed what amounted to a virus with its automatic updater. When I bought a copy of XP to replace Windows ME the tech at CompUSA refused to install it over ME so he put a version on the computer that allowed him to obliterate ME completely and start from scratch.

Later, Microsoft downloaded "authentication" software onto my computer, software which decided my software wasn't legit and disabled the computer so it wouldn't work. Never mind that I had purchased a legit upgrade copy of XP and that the reason it wasn't used was that ME was such a piece of crap, I was given no due process to explain anything.

I now use the absolutely free software from Open Office instead of Microsoft Office and I bought two Macs to replace our PCs and couldn't be happier. The difference is between night and day, between constantly re-booting and enjoying a reliable operating system. Macs are superior not only in terms of how they operate, but also ethically in terms of how they treat their customers. Oh, and I don't have to fork out the $50 a year for anti-virus software to slow my machine down.

I will never have another computer with a Microsoft operating system. Bill Gates truly an enemy of the people.

[John Altevogt]

That would be:

openoffice.org for PCs
neooffice.org for Macs

both are free and replace Microsoft Office, saving you yet more money.

[Chris]

They really should make note that it's "Only if you use Microsoft Windows" because I only deal with mac users and I'm tired of getting the phone calls.

Macs/Linux/Unix is only vulnerable to "torjan horses" or programs that fool you into giving them the keys (ala Phishing).

Viruses by definition don't exist for either that I am aware of. True viruses, as in self replication/spreading, no user involvement .... trojans are not viruses, viruses are not trojans.

MS won't patch the hole that makes them and their partners the most money either, that's like detroit giving us the 40-50MPG Diesel engines they sell all day in europe to the average american.

[DKC]

Lauren is correct... she isn't cool enough for Mac... nor informed enough to buy one. The laptop she purchased has bad screen resolution, a slower processor and 2 hour battery life...that's why it's cheaper.... and, you are absolutely correct... I'm on year eight with a Mac and zero viruses the whole time.