Well I wish I could say this is a April fools joke but its not.....it's real. There was a thread on it earlier Conficker = Bad Joke? Or Big Trouble? here on GD.

So what is Conficker and how do you protect yourself against it?

For those of you that may be worried about your home computer, there are a few things to consider:

On April 1st the Conficker worm will simply start taking more steps to protect itself.

· For machines already infected, the worm will attempt to update itself over the internet

· Machines infected with the "C” variant of the worm may not be able to get security updates or patches from Microsoft and from many other vendors.

· Creators of the worm will most certainly start using a communications system that is more difficult for security researchers to interrupt.

How Do I know I have it?

The best way to know if you are infected is to run a good antivirus product. Other than, you will have to pay attention to symptoms. They may include:

· Finding that your computer is blocked from accessing the web sites of most security companies.

· Account lockout policies being reset automatically.

· Certain Microsoft Windows services such as Automatic Updates, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Windows Defender and Error Reporting Services disabled.

· System becomes very sluggish.

· Websites related to antivirus software becoming inaccessible.[

What does the Conficker worm do?

No one really knows the purpose of the Conficker worm. The worm has created an infrastructure capable of remotely installing software on infected machines. Most likely the worm will be used to create a botnet that will be rented out for sending SPAM, stealing IDs and directing users to online scams and phishing sites.

The Conficker worm mostly spreads across networks. If it finds a vulnerable computer:

· it turns off the automatic backup service

· deletes previous restore points

· disables many security services

· blocks access to a number of security web sites (Symantec or McAffee for example)

· opens infected machines to receive additional programs from the Malware's creator

· worm tries to spread itself to other computers on the same network.

How does the worm infect a computer?

The worm tries to take advantage of a problem with Windows (a vulnerability) called MS08-067 to quietly install itself. Users who automatically receive updates from Microsoft are already protected from this. The worm also tries to spread by copying itself into shared folders on networks and by infecting USB devices such as memory sticks.

Who is at risk?

Users whose computers are not configured to receive patches and updates from Microsoft and who are not running an up to date anti-virus product are most at risk. Users who do not have a genuine version of Windows from Microsoft are most at risk since pirated systems usually cannot get Microsoft updates and patches.

· For those you without a good anti-virus program, there is an excellent free program from http://www.Avast!.com

They have already updated for this worm.