‘Conficker’ – A Nasty bug wriggles into millions of computers
A NASTY bug has wriggled into millions of computers and continues to spread, leaving security experts wondering whether the attack is a harbinger of evil deeds to come.
US software protection firm F-Secure says a computer worm known as “Conficker” or “Downadup” had infected more than nine million computers and was spreading at a rate of one million machines daily.
The malicious software had yet to do any noticeable damage, prompting debate as to whether it is impotent, waiting to “detonate”, or a test run by cybercriminals intent on profiting from the weakness in the future.
“This is enormous; possibly the biggest virus we have ever seen,” said software security specialist David Perry of Trend Micro.
“I think the bad guys are field testing a new technology. If Conficker proves to work well, they could go out and sell malware (malicious software) to people.