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BitDefender offers free removal tool for Stuxnet

Standalone utility available for download free of charge on Malwarecity.

BitDefender, an award-winning provider of innovative anti-malware security solutions, released a free removal tool targeting Win32.Worm.Stuxnet. This tool is capable of removing all known variants of Win32.Worm.Stuxnet, as well as the rootkit drivers that are used to conceal critical components of the worm.

Win32.Worm.Stuxnet is a new breed of e-threats that emerged around mid-July. Although it infects all Windows-based systems alike, it primarily targets supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems which run the Siemens WinCC software.

The worm spreads by taking advantage of a multitude of 0-day exploits in the current versions of Windows. Moreover, 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.

“BitDefender added generic detection covering all variants of Stuxnet as of 19 July, thus protecting its customers since day zero. As part of its constant efforts to help users worldwide in their fight against e-threats, BitDefender has also created a Stuxnet Removal Tool. Therefore, computer users who are not protected by a BitDefender security solution can now eliminate Stuxnet from their infected systems as well.”, said Catalin Cosoi, head of the BitDefender Online Threats Lab.

The tool can be run on both 32- and 64-bit installations and it will eliminate both the rootkit drivers and the worm.

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.

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