Conficker - The Worm That Hasn't Gone Away

Conficker, which first came to prominence in November of 2008, is a computer worm.

It targets Windows machines via flaws in the operating system.

Machines infected by Conficker invariably end up as part of a botnet, designed for numerous potentially criminal acts.

Thus far it is believed that up to nine million computers may be infected by the worm.

The speed at which this worm has spread is both shocking and impressive in some ways. This has been possible due to clever writing that allows it to spread via external devices.

The word "Confiker" is believed to come from an amalgamation of two other words - the English 'configure' and the German 'ficker' (I'll leave you to Google what that one means).

Conficker is a huge problem because of the ease with which it spreads - it can navigate networks, copy itself onto removable and external drives and also infect USB and flash devices.

Most infected machines can be found in Eastern Europe and Asia where Windows systems tend to be patched and updated less often due to the fact that many are pirate copies.

If, on the other hand, you have a genuine copy of Windows then you should be fine, especially if you have automatic updates switched on - a security update in October of 2008 (MS08-067) will prevent your system being infected with Conficker.

If you are already infected then it is possible to remove the Conficker worm.

Microsoft have a tool for removing malicious software in addition to offering free online scans of your system.

If the worm is preventing you from visiting Microsoft or other security sites on the web then get a friend to download the tool onto a flash drive and then pop it over to you.

Whether you have been infected with Conficker or not there is no need to panic - its easily blocked and easily removed.