Conflicker: A Big Dustup about Nothing

Conflicker, the latest Internet bug-a-boo, turned out to be no more than a big yawn on April 1. 

That's not to mean we shouldn't take proper precautions against computer threats such as worms, viruses, and whatever else is out there. 

This from Kim Komando, who says it much better than I can:

HAVE YOU BEEN CONFICKERED?

Perhaps the most hyped date in computer security came and went last week. I'm talking about April 1, of course. That was the day the Conficker worm supposedly contacted the mothership.

Maybe you missed all the excitement. That's probably because there wasn't any. The date was more a media brouhaha. There were no mobs in the streets, milling about in panic. But Conficker probably did call home. And it probably got instructions to do things we won't like.

Conficker is believed to be a child of renegade, Eastern European programmers. Up to 12 million computers have been roped into its army. It could spread spam, steal identities or attack Web sites. It probably will do all three.

If your security software is up to date, you should be OK. If you cannot install or update security software, you have a problem. Conficker blocks security installations.

Kitten again: Kim offers free (yes, free!) programs to deworm your computer if, in fact, you have been infected by Conflicker. You can find them, and many more, here. 

I highly recommend checking out Kim's site. It's full of interesting information, free programs that Kim guarantee's to be free and to do what they claim to do, and fun stuff, too. These are programs that have been checked out by Kim and/or her staff. 

Some programs recommended by Kim aren't free. For example, I purchased a Carbonite subscription on Kim's recommendation and have been so glad that I did. My computer has crashed on several occasions and I haven't lost a single file yet. My files are all backed up and stored off my computer. So when I've had to wipe my computer back to factory settings, I go to Carbonite, start a restore, and get all my files back. I've not lost the first music file, photo, or document since subscribing to Carbonite.

I sound like I'm selling Carbonite. In a sense I am, because I'm so happy with it. And glad I took Kim's recommendation to look at Carbonite in the first place.