Security vendors are issuing warnings about a virulent new worm, which took down Ministry of Health systems for 15 days. Conficker are also known as Downadup or Kido. Is a uniquely pestilent species of worm, infecting PCs via the internet or “manually” via USB thumb drives. Once it has infected a computer, Conficker “phones home” to a malicious server, which delivers a payload of malware (which could be any malware, such as a programme that sniffs out personal details).
Conficker randomly generates hundreds of domains each day – making it a moving target for virus hunters. Two weeks ago, the number of infected PCs was around 3 million. Now security software company F-Secure puts the number at 9 million and counting.