Are the Conficker masters really as cryptographically sophisticated as the article describes? They implemented an encryption algorithm that had been submitted as a SHA-3 candidate, complete with its flaws, then updated it to patch the flaw only after the author of the algorithm corrected his own work.
Similarly, they exploited a flaw in Windows only after Microsoft released a security update describing the bug.
The Conficker creators are certainly paying attention and taking advantage of the right opportunities, but they're not quite the super-genius polymaths that the article is making them out to be.
Similarly, they exploited a flaw in Windows only after Microsoft released a security update describing the bug.
The Conficker creators are certainly paying attention and taking advantage of the right opportunities, but they're not quite the super-genius polymaths that the article is making them out to be.