Computer worm virus set to go off April 1

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A worm called 'Conficker' is set to go off on April 1, but there are steps that can be taken to avoid computer contamination or damage.

According to an article published on newscnet.com, the worm is scheduled to go off on April 1st, but it may not be as bad as some other previous worms or viruses, because it is designed to make money, not just cause trouble.

The newscnet.com article also speculated that the people behind Conficker are interested in using the botnet, which is comprised of all the infected computers, to make money by distributing spam or other malware.

The current 'Conficker' worm is actually in its third version, and shuts down security services, blocks computers from connecting to security Web sites, and downloads a Trojan. It also reaches out to other infected computers via peer-to-peer networking and includes a list of 50,000 different domains, of which 500 will be contacted by the infected computer on April 1 to receive updated copies or other malware or instructions. Previous Conficker variants were written to connect to 250 domains a day.

Infected computers could be slowed down considerably or inundated with advertisements, but more importantly, the worm could allow hackers access to personal information by mirroring key strokes.

The newscnet.com article also warned that the 'Conficker' worm is the most widespread virus since 2004, when the 'Sasser' worm infected more than 500,000 computers.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

Microsoft has a patch for the worm, along with Panda, which has a vaccine tool available.

It's also important to point out that the virus can be spread in a variety of ways, including hackers acessing unprotected networks or individual computers. Another means of transfer is the usage of removable storage devices. The Panda vaccine tool help clean such devices.

The latest about Conficker

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - If it's an April fools joke nobody's laughing. A dangerous computer worm known as "Conficker" has already hit millions of computers and could be activated in millions more in just two days - April 1st. It destroys data on computers and can steal your information.

Experts at PC Laptops say this may be the most advanced worm to date. They've compared this to spies or sleeper cells just waiting for the next command.

PC Laptops CEO Dan Young says, “It's almost a terrorist product it's scary.” “Conficker” is a slimy, toxic worm that's infected more than 10-million computers world wide and growing. For now it's sitting dormant awaiting instructions. With just a click of a mouse the worm's creator can record personal information like logins, passwords, and account numbers off of infected computers. IT Specialist Trogdor says, “There's kind of no limit to what this worm can do because of the way it's designed to update itself and change itself.”

Technicians at PC Laptops have been removing the worm from computers since November. Social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace are the latest targets of worms. The danger of Conficker is so great one company is taking action to stop the creator. Young says, “Microsoft has put out a little bounty that's like a quarter million dollars to find the people that may be involved for their conviction.”

So how do you know if your computer's been infected? We literally wanted to show you what you're computer would look like but here's the scary thing about this worm; Everything on your computer looks as it should even if it's been infected.”

Only when the worm is activated could you see some warning signs. Young says, “What you may see is activity lights on your hard drive coming up for no reason, if you watch your router you may see internet traffic when you're doing nothing.”

Here are some helpful tips to make sure your computer doesn’t get infected: Make sure your anti-virus and operating system are updated, especially if you have Windows XP. You should be ok if you have Vista. If you've done all that and your computer is acting funny take it in to a professional.