There are worms and there are worms. This worm, dear friends, seems to be making more noise than usual. In fact, since the Conficker worm was detected in October of 2008, it has affected more than 9 millions computers worldwide. In fact, Christopher Null over at Yahoo Tech says that the situation has gotten so bad that the numbers might have reached 15 to 20 million by now!
So how do you make sure you are protected? Here are some ways by which you can make sure that the Conficker worm will not get into your system.
First, it is important to understand that this worm takes advantage of security holes in Microsoft Windows – so what’s new? What you should make sure of is that your Windows is updated. Go to Microsoft and make sure that you have an updated patch that will resolve this issue.
Another thing that you can do is to disable autorun for CDs and USBs. The Conficker worm is a self-replication program and can spread through a network or removable disks. As such, when plugging in any removable device, you can take on the added protection by NOT having autorun on.
The good news is that home networks are relatively safe from the worm. This is due to the fact that firewalls and similar protection are often set in place. Do not be complacent, however, especially if you use your laptop outside of your home.
Good luck protecting your PC against this worm!