Over at a blog I follow called One More Thing, Kate is doing something called “the madhouse”. Basically, a set of topics is laid out for other bloggers to post about. Anyone can follow along and see what other’s think when presented with a specific topic. “the madhouse” happens every Wednesday. This week’s topic is Fools.
What’s more “Fool”ish than an Internet Worm set to go off on, of course, April Fool’s Day. Yep, today is April 1st (well, it’s really March 31st, but I wanted to give you a bit of fair warning to perhaps protect yourself) and in the tech world all hell is suppose to break loose due to the Conflicter Worm. No one is certain exactly what the worm that is set to go off on April Fool’s Day will do. It could simply pop up and say, “FOOL”. Or, it could wipe your hard drive. Or, perhaps steal your online banking password. Whatever, it’s worth it to ensure you’re protected. I’ve listed some defenses at the end of this blog entry.
When I saw this week’s topic I immediately tried to recall my best April Fool’s memory. Unfortunately, I really don’t have any fantastic prank that I pulled on someone or someone pulled on me. All I could recall was some radio DJs losing their jobs over some stupid prank they pulled.
Next thing that entered my mind was who do I know that’s a fool? No one popped to mind that I would openly embarrass here on this blog. (Although I will say that recent discussions about straight men knitting made me pause.)
So, that left me to the “fools” who create computer viruses designed to show off their computer skills. It’s much like a graffiti “artist” defiling other’s property to show off their artistic skills. It’s not every year that the tech world has to be worried about this kind of “fool”, but it’s become rather common. So, my life today is all about ensuring the computers at my employer’s place of business are protected. It really is a waste of time for me and my staff. It really is quite “foolish” that I , or anyone for that matter, have to go through this.
Now, if you’re unsure of your own computer’s vulnerability, the best place I can find is http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/worms/conficker.mspx. Run the Protection Scan. Also, if you haven’t already, run an update on your AntiVirus program. Having the latest virus definitions really can’t hurt.
Oh, and if you happen to know the person who started this “foolish” worm, drop Microsoft a line. They are offering $250,000 for assistance with an arrest and conviction. Click here for more info.
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3 comments:
Isn't it a fantastic (and by that I mean foolish) world that can offer that amount of money to help apprehend the author of a computer virus, and bail for violent gun-toting criminals rarely tops $100,000?
I heard about this, it's been lying dormant since Feb but if you have a firewall or the microsoft patch you should be safe. It's a serious threat too, can view all your keystrokes and pinch your information. Another foolish thing that I really don't get is spam that doesn't actually offer you anything, just clogs up your junk mail . .foolish indeed! April 1st came and went here without any Conficker problems.
I heard about this yesterday and stayed up late running my anti-virus program, just to be safe. Then again I hadn't run it in two weeks. And it expires in a few days.
Now who's the fool? ;)
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