Bonn, Germany  - The latest major threat to computing safety, the Conficker worm, is spreading rapidly throughout the internet. The worm represents less of a risk to home PCs than networked computers at corporations and institutions, but that does not mean that stand- alone computers are immune to the threat, says Katrin Alberts from the German Federal Agency for Security in Information Technology (BSI) in Bonn.

The first crucial step for all users is to install the Microsoft patch (MS08-067) designed to close the security gap in Windows. A virus scanner with current virus definitions is also a must for identifying and removing the ill-intentioned program.

Computers infected with the bug are forced to download and install additional malware. The worm, which is also known as Downadup and Kido, then attempts to crack weaker passwords. This worm has proven particularly difficult to stamp out because many users have failed to install the necessary patch, even though it has been available since October 2008.

Conficker also has the ability to replicate itself onto USB sticks and hard drives. "For your home PC, you should have an antivirus program scan the USB stick before opening any files," the expert recommends. It's also a good idea to deactivate the autostart function on USB storage media and to switch to robust passwords, if you have not already done so.

Antivirus software makers say an estimated 9 million computers are infected with Conficker worldwide. The majority of those are corporate and government networks. Interestingly, the worm does not like competition. As soon as it has successfully installed itself onto a machine, it then downloads the Microsoft patch on its own to prevent other malicious software from exploiting the same gap. (dpa)