ABSTRACT
Conficker was believed to be financially motivated as infected computers’ users would, in many cases, have their computer and related file functions effectively hijacked. Some experts argue that the Conficker worm ushered in a new era of organized cybercrime using worms and malware. Late in November 2008, a new piece of malicious software or malware that would come to be called the Conficker worm was released. Computer security workers would set computer clocks ahead of the desired time and then use the generated domain information to buy and close the domains and then dispose of Conficker’s communication in a sinkhole. Experts originally speculated that Conficker was a computer lab exercise that was accidental. Fighting Conficker and similar threats have taken a two-pronged approach of defense and aggression. One positive outcome of Conficker is that it has increased awareness of worms and the damage they can cause among computers used by public and security experts alike.
