The Conficker virus may infect Microsoft Windows systems
Why
The Conficker worm is expected to hit the Internet on Wednesday, but experts disagree on how extensive the damage could be. One of the most dangerous threats ever, a computer worm known as "Conficker," is spreading through the Internet right now. By some estimates, 10 million computers have been infected worldwide. At Symantec, the company that makes Norton antivirus software, engineers have been tracking Conficker since last November as it worms its way across the globe. "This map is showing a visual representation of where all of the known infections of Conficker are across the world," explained Steve Trilling, a Symantec vice president who says the worm is now living on millions of computers, mainly in corporations. So far, the bad guys who created it haven't triggered Conficker. It's just sitting out there like a sleeper cell. "Imagine a network of spies that has infiltrated a country. And every day, all of the spies are calling in for their instructions on what to do next," Trilling explained. Asked what the worm is being asked to do, Trilling told Stahl, "That's the interesting thing. The only thing the worm is being asked to do is to ask for further instructions." For several months, Trilling says the worm has just been sitting there, awaiting instructions. It's that ominous, because once the hackers issue instructions, Conficker could turn menacing in an instant. With one click, the worm's creator can instruct it to suck sensitive data, like bank passwords and account numbers, out of millions of computers, or launch a massive spam attack to clog up the works. The newest targets of worms are social networking sites. Trilling demonstrated to Stahl how it might work. Looking at a real Facebook page, Trilling explained, "We added your friend and colleague Morley Safer, you can see down there on the left." Friday, the Guardian reported that the House of Commons has been infected with Conficker, which is an "embarrassment," the paper says, since Microsoft announced a fix in October. The House relies on Symantec-owned MessageLabs. Employees are now banned from bringing in flash drives. Today, it seems the infection is more widespread. At the very least, it has penetrated the entire Parliament IT system. Will the ministries be the next to turn up infected? The National Health Service hospital systems and Royal Navy Fleet have also been infected, according to ITWire.
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References:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10207852-83.html,http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/ncircle-releases-automated-coverage-identify-systems-compromised-conficker-worm/,http://government.zdnet.com/?p=4502,http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/DHS-Releases-Conficker-Worm-Detection-Tool-540662/,http://www.osnews.com/story/21230/Conficker_Worm_Hoax_or_Criminally_Genius_Scheme_
