Topic: Conficker worm: How to tell if your PC is infected

[Clive]

There are some easy ways to figure out whether a computer has the Conficker worm, and free tools are available for getting rid of it.

Conficker exploits a security hole in Microsoft's Windows operating system that was fixed in October, but if your PC doesn't get automatic updates from Microsoft, it could be vulnerable.

Conficker doesn't disable anti-virus software outright; instead, it blocks infected PCs from accessing the anti-virus vendors' and Microsoft's Web sites, so victims won't get automatic updates and can't download Conficker removal tools.

This computer worm is no April Fool's joke So see what Web sites you can visit. If you can navigate the Internet freely except for sites owned by Microsoft or vendors such as Symantec Corp. or F-Secure Corp., your PC might have Conficker or a similar bug.

Fixing the problem gets a little trickier.

The best remedy is to have a friend whose computer is not infected download a removal tool from Microsoft or another vendor and then e-mail the tool to you. A list of free Conficker removal programs is available at www.confickerworkinggroup.org.

Note that Conficker blocks infected machines from running removal tools with "Conficker" in the name. So you might have to change the name of the file (right-click on it and select "rename") before running it. The program's instructions will let you know if you need to do this. Many anti-virus vendors have already changed the names in their removal tools—in some cases misspelling "Conficker"—to trick the worm into letting the program run.

[Simon]

Thanks Clive, my machine appears to be uninfected. 

[Rik]

As you would expect.