Rants

Posted on 7 May 2009 at 10:53

 

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On 1st April the dreaded Conficker worm was set to unleash havoc on millions of PCs.

We were told to be extra vigilant with our internet use, to beware of USB sticks and, of course, to update our security software. Otherwise we could risk, well, anything and everything - no-one seemed to know.

But on the day there was no sign of hell breaking loose. Security companies remained "braced" for the worst malware attack ever, but nothing significant happened. The one noticeable thing that has come out of all the Conficker hype is that security companies are getting their names into the papers.

Before any of us had heard the name Conficker or Downadup, how many had seen the names McAfee, Symantec, Kaspersky or Trend Micro in the national newspapers? Now, though, the Conficker worm seems to be the biggest threat to our safety since the atom bomb.

I'd be intrigued to know just how many more visits security companies' websites have seen since news of this 'fatal worm' broke, and just how many more consumers have bought or updated security software.

In the current climate, people are spending less on things they don't value highly. For most people, security suites are not high on their list of concerns, so there's never been greater cause for security providers to publicise what they do and explain why their products and services are important.

I'm not suggesting that there's a conspiracy among security companies, or that Conficker exists only in the minds of canny marketeers. I'm just saying that the whole thing may have been blown out of proportion.

New viruses and worms appear regularly, and each time a new one hits a high-profile person or company, security firms declare it "unlike any other" they've seen. Well, it has to be, doesn't it? If they'd seen it before, their software would (or should) have nullified the threat before it had any effect.

But with Conficker, the hype was extraordinary. Even on 1st April, when the hype was shown to be just that, the national media made a story of it. And who exactly expected it to happen? The security companies. They told the media that this was the most potent threat they'd ever seen, and the media (including us) in turn told the public. Now I'm starting to wonder if we all fell for an elaborate April Fool's prank.

Author: Dawinderpal Sahota