| Using a Facebook account, an internet security expert | | | | asked its' host for further instructions. |
| sent Stall a message from a Facebook "friend," Morey | | | | *Conficker can be spread with thumb drives as it |
| Safer, that was infected with a computer virus. Stall's | | | | contains code to activate automatically when it senses |
| computer was infected with the virus the moment she | | | | that the thumb drive has been plugged in. |
| clicked on the link from Morey Safer her Facebook | | | | *Conficker instructs infected computers to contact a |
| friend. With a second computer side by side with | | | | command central and there are specific instructions |
| Stall's, she was able to see how everything she typed, | | | | for contact on April 1st, which has led to the nickname |
| from bank account information to credit card | | | | April Fools Day virus. |
| information at was showing up on the second | | | | "The big thing that makes this one creepy is that it's |
| computer almost as instantly as she typed. Many in | | | | adapting to the defenses that the security community |
| the 60 Minutes audience got their first virtual look at | | | | is putting up," said Dan Kaminksy, a computer security |
| how easily and quickly online hackers can steal | | | | consultant for Seattle-based IOActive, Inc. |
| identities and private information. | | | | "We've got some bad guys out there who are |
| Leslie Stall also explored the online hot topic, Conficker, | | | | extremely sophisticated," said Merrick Furst, a |
| with security experts from the creators of Norton | | | | professor at Georgia Institute of Technology. "There |
| Anti-Virus software. In check out lines, coffee shops | | | | are a huge number of machines that might be able to |
| and gyms across the country people are chatting | | | | be controlled by people other than the owners of |
| about Conficker, often referred to as the Conficker | | | | those machines." |
| computer virus or the April 1st computer virus. | | | | Furst adds that he has heard estimates that 3 percent |
| Conficker is actually not a computer virus but rather is | | | | to 5 percent of the computers at Fortune 500 |
| a computer program, which isn't to say that couldn't be | | | | companies might have some form of a so-called |
| very dangerous. It has invaded millions of computers | | | | malware like the Conficker program, which makes it |
| world wide that run on Microsoft Widows by linking | | | | possible for outsiders to control them or steal data |
| one infected computer with another building a large, | | | | from them. |
| coordinated machine that computer specialist call a | | | | Microsoft Offers Reward |
| botnet. Internet security experts on 60 Minutes | | | | No one yet knows who built Conficker, nor is it obvious |
| referred to as "a network of spies," in computers that | | | | why or for what purpose Conficker was created. |
| are "sitting there like a sleeper cell." | | | | Was Conficker created by a young Russian cyber |
| Conficker Facts & Figures: | | | | gang or a lone basement terrorist? Was it created to |
| *Conficker has boarded an estimated 9-15 million | | | | steal identities and massive amounts of money or to |
| computers. | | | | wreak technical havoc or is it simply a big April Fool's |
| *Conficker is targeting corporate and company | | | | joke? Microsoft wants to know and they have |
| computers. | | | | offered $250,000 reward for information leading to the |
| *Conficker automatically turns off some security | | | | arrest of Conficker's creators. |
| settings built into Microsoft Windows. | | | | We'll all soon know what if any consequences are |
| *Conficker is not invading computers that run on Apple | | | | suffered as a result of the Conficker program but we |
| systems or Linux systems. | | | | do know that most malware today is usually crime |
| *Conficker blocks computer users from going to know | | | | driven for identity theft, data theft, spam, spyware and |
| web sites that offer anti-virus protection. | | | | phishing attacks. |
| *So far the Conficker program has only spread and | | | | |