The Conflicker worm is a computer worm that can infect your computer and spread itself to other computers using network connection or USB devices. The worm spreads itself without any human interaction and is considered highly dangerous.
Its hard to tell if you have the conflicker worm on your machine as there are no obvious tell tale signs. You computer becomes a zombie, helping to infect more and more computers worldwide. Some technology experts believe that the conflicker worm is programmed ready to retrieve new instructions at specific dates such as the 1st of April 2009. However, such dates have not shown any signs of the deadly worm awakening once again.
Microsoft have released several Windows updates that protect against the worm and also remove the threat if it exists on your machine. However, if you have been infected by the worm it is likely that the Microsoft updates will be install correctly. It is highly recommended that you download the Microsoft update and manually install it.
One particular case, the worm adds a new option to the Windows Autoplay menu. This menu option tricks users into clicking the Open folder to view Files – Publisher not specified. Clicking this option executes the worm and it begins to spread to other computers.
For more information visit the Microsoft page for conflicker:
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/worms/conficker.mspx
Conflicker exists in many forms. The following forms have been identified to date:
Win32/Conficker.A
Win32/Conficker.B
Win32/Conficker.C
Win32/Conficker.D
Win32/Conficker.D was detected in March 2009.
Removing the tool is fairly straight forward. Download the malicious software removal tool:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx
This tool checks various Windows versions including Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 for the infection. The tool also checks for other serious worms such as Blaster, Sasser and MyDoom. The tool reports the removal of any of these infections after it have finished running. No other interaction is required from the user, just run once and its fixed!
If you would prefer to perform an online scan of your system for potential viruses and worms, then you can also use the Windows Live Protection Center page:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-US/center/howsafe.htm?s_cid=mscom_msrt
This free online tool, helps keep your PC protected from hackers and unwanted software.
Download
Price: $0
Size: 10MB
Released: 04/2009
Type: freewareCategory: Utilities
OS Support: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003
Keywords: microsoft