Conflicker is a computer worm virus that has a main target of personal computers and the Microsoft Windows Operating system (pre-Vista). First detected back in 2008, the Conflicker worm virus is believed to be the biggest infector of PC's since 2003 when the SQL Slammer virus was in operation. A report on the popular news documentary series "60 Minutes" in 2009, led to many PC users panicking over the potential for the Conflicker virus to ruin their computer. It was reported that the virus would do something on April 1st, 2009, but there were no major damages reported as of that date

Software and technology company Microsoft is also currently offering a $250,000 reward for any information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the people behind the creation of Conflicker.

This webpage will provide you with the resources and information you need to make sure your personal computer doesn't become infected with Conflicker!

Refer to the following list of possible symptoms to know whether or not your personal computer may have downloaded and contracted the Conflicker computer worm virus:

- Are your user accounts locked out on your PC?

- Do your local area networks (LAN's) seem more congested than usual?

- Are websites that provide Windows update or Internet security/virus protection inaccessible on your computer?

- Are your computer's account lockout policies automatically reset?

- Are certain Microsoft Windows services disabled on your computer? (Windows Defender, Automatic Updates, and/or WIndows Error Reporting, etc.)

If your computer or PC has any or several of the above issues and symptoms, it may have contracted the Conflicker PC worm.

It is essential these days to have your personal computer protected by up-to-date and efficient Antivirus Software.  Make sure you run regular updates with your antivirus software and also run virus scans.  This is recommended even if you have a computer with the Microsoft Vista operating system, because you never know if a new variation of Conflicker worm or another new virus threat may strike.

Some of the trusted and preferred names for good antivirus software include: Symantec, Kaspersky, McAfee, TrendMicro, Panda, CA, BitDefender and avast!  Any of these titles if used appropriately and in their most updated form should provide solid protection against computer viruses.

Please note that Microsoft provided a security patch/update in October of 2008 to prevent your PC from being infected by Conflicker worm. The update was called MS 08-067 so if you've updated your PC or currently use the Windows Vista operating system you are safe. Also Macintosh computers are very unlikely to have the Conflicker virus unless they were running an older Windows operating system without the proper updates.

Microsoft issued a guide which gave steps to remove Conflicker worm from a PC and prevent it from becoming re-infected.

- Download the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool from Microsoft's site.

- Download and install the latest Microsoft Updates to prevent re-infection.
http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate

- If you're unable to do either of the above procedures, use the Windows Live Safety Scanner at http://safety.live.com and scan your computer. This tool will also generally improve your computer's speed and performance while also performing functions such as virus and malicious software removal.

In addition to Microsoft's tools and updates there are third party Conflicker worm virus removal tools.  Several internet security antivirus programs which have released updates capable of removing Conflicker virus. These include: Kaspersky Internet Labs. Symantec, TrendMicro, F-Secure and BitDefender. Please refer to their respective websites for appropriate updates, installation instruction and more info.