Conficker Keeps Growing And Growing

By Digital Trends Staff Published October 25, 2009

Conficker Keeps Growing And Growing

It might not be in the news any more, but the Conficker virus won’t go away, in fact it’s growing and growing.

Remember Conficker? Just a few short weeks ago it was the virus du jour, infecting thousands of computers. Then it dropped from the headlines – but it didn’t go away.

Recommended Videos

In fact, it’s estimated to still be infecting around 50,000 computers a day, according to Symantec researchers. Most of the infections are in the United States, Brazil and India, along with China, Mexico and Italy.

The researchers wrote:

"Well much of the media hype seems to have died down around Conficker/Downadup, but it is still out there spreading far and wide."

"In fact the Symantec threat intelligence team estimate there are 50,000 newly infected PCs a day right now."

Conficker first appeared in January, then hit the spotlight when it appeared a variant of the virus was set to dial a control server on April 1. Nothing happened then, and interest waned. But it won’t go away entirely.

Digital Trends Staff

Digital Trends has a simple mission: to help readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. We are your…

Computing

I keep my PC on the floor, and you can’t convince me otherwise

Gaming PC on a desk.

Should you put your PC on a desk or on the ground? It's a debate as old as time. If you have the luxury of both options, then this is a choice you'll inevitably need to make.

But let me lay my cards down first. I like my PC on the floor. You heard me right, and I'm not ashamed of it either.

Computing

How to back up Windows 11 and keep all your data safe

Windows 11 set up on a computer.

Your Windows operating system is more than just the building blocks of your PC's user experience — it’s a trove of precious memories, captured in videos, photographs, and songs. You probably have years of files that paint a picture of you, yours, and your way of life, so the last thing you’d want to happen is for these meaningful moments to disappear.

This is why it’s important to learn how to create a Windows 11 backup. And fortunately, we know a thing or two about carrying out this task.

Computing

This ‘unpatchable’ Mac flaw is keeping me up at night

Apple MacBook Pro 16 downward view showing keyboard and speaker.

Apple prides itself on the security of its devices, but that doesn’t mean they’re immune to malicious attacks. That point has just been proven by researchers who say they’ve discovered a major new vulnerability in any Mac that runs on an Apple silicon chip, according to a report from Ars Technica. Worst of all, it looks like the problem is completely unpatchable.

So, what’s the flaw? According to the researchers, it all comes down to components called data memory-dependent prefetchers (DMPs). Essentially, these predict what data is going to be needed next and preemptively retrieve it. The idea is that this saves on computing resources, but they leave a potential window open to attack.