Conficker Virus Set To Unleash Itself On Computer World
Posted April 1, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s April Fool’s Day – have you checked your computer?
The Conficker worm is set to go off on Wednesday, April 1, and the effects on the computer world could be widespread – or it could turn out to be very minor.
The virus is a piece of bad code that infects computers, and it could delete your files, send you millions of pieces of spam, or steal your credit card information or other valuable data. It could also attack servers and bring them to a screeching halt.
Computer security experts say it’s the biggest worm we’ve ever had to deal with. Unfortunately it’s not known where it originated or who controls it.
It’s estimated that as many as 10 million PCs around the world have already been infected with Conficker.
Among those being hit, machines being used at the British Parliament as well as the website of Southwest Airlines. Meanwhile in France, fighter planes were grounded after the worm infected the country’s military computers.
What can you do?
- Update your virus protection and run a scan to see if it can be detected on your machine.
- Update your version of Windows to get the latest protection.
- Make sure you have a firewall to keep the bad guys out.
- Beware of what you download and use only trusted sites.
- Change your passwords. The virus seems to have a cracking programming designed to decipher your secret entry codes. Making them harder to guess could keep the effects at bay. The best passwords use a random combination of numbers and letters, both upper and lowercase, and should be more than six figures long. They’re harder to remember but also harder to duplicate.
- Watch out what you plug into your computer. The virus can easily be lurking on someone’s USB key.
Microsoft has issued a patch to address the original vulnerability and ensure those without it don’t catch it now. You can find out more about it here. If you do get the worm, the PC giant has a removal tool here. Other services are providing a free tool here.
By the end of April 1st, few problems had been reported worldwide, but many are still on guard to see what – if anything – happens next.
