True story

A computer worm may compromise a computer.

Year: 2009

Background: The Conficker computer worm made headlines in March 2009, since it was supposed to carry out a massive attack on April 1, 2009. In the end, this attack did not occur, but even so, the worm spread on the Internet. It infiltrated a computer using a flaw in Windows operating system and could have, among other things, compromised security and functioning.

Consequences: According to F-Secure, in January 2009, nearly 9,000,000 computers worldwide had been infected with one of the variants of the Conficker worm.

Computer worm

A worm is a self-replicating malicious software that can propagate itself by using the Internet network in all of its forms.

To infect a computer, it can slip through a software flaw or appear in an email in the form of an infected attachment.

Caution

A computer worm may:

  • Connect your computer to a botnet in order to commit a malicious act
  • Spread to your contacts using your email client
  • Trigger the installation of other malicious software

How can you protect yourself?

  • Use antivirus software and a firewall
  • Make sure you regularly update your antivirus software, operating system, browser, and email client
  • Do not open emails that contain attachments from unknown or questionable sources
  • If you use messaging software, disable your email's automatic opening feature
  • Make a backup copy of your work files and system configuration
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