Worm Set to Unleash Massive April Fool's Prank

(NEWSER) - The devious worm that has infected up to 9 million personal computers worldwide may be just the first stage of a malicious attack, the New York Times reports. The so-called Conficker or Downadup virus, which exploits a Microsoft Windows vulnerability, pulls infected computers into systems called botnets that can be controlled by the worm's creator. Security experts expect the "botnet herder" to send out programming instructions in the next few weeks for some yet-unknown illegal activity. More»

Program performs well in stress test

(NEWSER) - Want a great, free antivirus program from a big software brand? OK, it’s from Microsoft, and … wait! Come back! Believe it or not, Microsoft’s new Security Essentials software is pretty darn good. AV-Test.org ran it through a bevy of tests and found the freebie performed admirably. In its first outing, it nabbed all 3,700 viruses, Trojans, and worms that testers threw at it. More»

(NEWSER) - An April Fools information apocalypse did not occur, but the widespread Conficker virus that caused so much fear of is still out there, CNN reports. Experts are puzzled over the lack of an attack, but the sheer size of the Conficker infection—5 million computers—yields a clue. “The more experienced attackers don’t let their viruses or their worms spread this widely,” one says. More»

(NEWSER) - Fear of computer viruses is now one of the major reasons people are getting them in the first place, Reuters reports. According to Microsoft, seven of the 25 top threats come in the form of fake security programs, which users terrified of malware like Conficker are installing indiscriminately. Losing market share to the bugs they try to defend against has flummoxed above-board Internet security firms. More»

Experts warn megavirus could still pose a serious threat

(NEWSER) - The Conficker worm came to life on its April 1 trigger date but failed to cause any major incidents—so far, Infoworld reports. Fears that the internet itself might be affected have yet to materialize, though experts warn that the malware—estimated to be lying in wait in 10 million systems—could still wreak havoc for PC users, and that its creators may be waiting for IT managers to relax their guard. More»