"Conficker was, like so many other web-based malware assaults, a buffer-overflow attack," said Abdulhayoglu. "We designed Comodo Internet Security to stand up against attacks like this. We didn’t even need to provide our customers with an update! They were safe as is."

Buffer overflow (or "BO") attacks occur when a seemingly safe website, actually infected with malware, overruns a computer with so much information that a "buffer," or temporary data storage area, is breached. Once this breach occurs, data flows over the buffer and into what is supposed to be a secure memory storage area containing the computer’s instructions on how to perform. The hacker who infected the initial site is now free to fill up a computer with his own instructions, however nefarious these may be.

Conficker, thought by security professionals to be named after a combination of the word "configure" and a German obscenity, struck fear in the hearts of many PC users because it appeared to be a more advanced worm than had previously been seen in the computing world. Unlike the usual buffer overflow attack, which can easily be shut down once a user determines the source of the attack’s malware, Conficker generated hundreds of illegitimate URLs a day, only downloading malware onto a PC from one of these sites.

"For non-Comodo users, this certainly could have been a problem. Conficker was a very intelligently designed piece of malware," said Abdulhayoglu. "Happily, users of our security suite were spared any panic. And we here at Comodo were spared the task of warning our users to download updates or face the consequences. After all, nobody enjoys scaring their own customers."

For complete protection from all buffer overflow attacks, download Comodo Internet Security today at personalfirewall.comodo.com

About Comodo

The Comodo companies provide the infrastructure that is essential in enabling e-merchants, other Internet-connected companies, software companies, and individual consumers to interact and conduct business via the Internet safely and securely. The Comodo companies offer PKI SSL, Code Signing, Content Verification and E-Mail Certificates; award winning PC security software; vulnerability scanning services for PCI Compliance; secure e-mail and fax services. Continual innovation, a core competence in PKI, and a commitment to reversing the growth of Internet-crime distinguish the Comodo companies as vital players in the Internet's ongoing development. Comodo secures and authenticates online transactions and communications for over 200,000 business customers and has over 10,000,000 installations of desktop security products. For additional information on Comodo - Creating Trust Online™ visit our website.

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Katharine Hadow COMODO Media Relations