Intego, the well-known security firm that provides the widest range of software to protect Mac users from the dangers of the Internet, has announced the discovery of a serious worm that may affect Windows computers - Conficker. Intego claims that the worm has been getting a lot of attention, including some “air time,” and can potentially infect Windows machines or Macs that have Windows installed on them.

“A serious worm, that may affect Windows computers, has been getting a great deal of press lately, including a scary segment of the popular TV show 60 Minutes,” Intego says in its latest security bulletin. “Many of our customers have been contacting Intego to ask if they are safe. Intego VirusBarrier detects and eradicates the Conficker worm so unwitting Mac users don’t pass it on to Windows-using friends or colleagues, or transfer it to their own Windows installations.”

Intego explains that Conficker is also doing the rounds under different names, such as Downadup and Kido, and has already infected millions of Windows computers. The worm was expected to become active on April 1, 2009, while researchers are still unsure what the worm is capable of - “it is just sitting on infected computers waiting for instructions,” Intego says. However, it is believed that the worm will connect to remote servers and download code at which point it may become virulent.

“This worm, which affects Windows computers, has no effect on Mac OS X,” Intego assures its customers and Mac users worldwide. “At least not yet,” the company adds. “Intego’s Virus Monitoring Center is un [sic] full alert in case a Mac OS X variant of this worm should appear, but, so far, Mac users are in the clear. However, Mac users who run Windows on their Macs are at the same risk as those running Windows on PCs,” the security firm explains.

As such, Mac owners are encouraged to use Intego's VirusBarrier X4 and X5 with up-to-date virus definitions in order to protect against the Conficker worm and its many variants. Existing users simply need to update their version of VirusBarrier with the latest virus definitions to be on the safe side. For Mac users who also have Windows installed on their machines, “Intego VirusBarrier X5 Dual Protection includes solid Windows protection from BitDefender to protect their Windows installation,” the company claims.

“If a Mac variant of Conficker should surface, Intego will update VirusBarrier’s virus definitions as soon as possible,” Intego promises.

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