April 1st is the reported date the Conficker worm calls home to receive instructions from its botnet masters. There’s a lot of hype surrounding this “April Fools” worm.  Actually, Conficker.C is a new variant of a worm that’s been around since late last year.  It exploits the MS08-067 vulnerability in un-patched Windows systems.  Microsoft issued a patch for the vulnerability last October.

Much of the hype is just that, hype.  Though worms and botnets are serious business, claims that Conficker will wipe out your computer or bring down the Internet are improbable.   That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be concerned, but as long as your Windows patches and anti-virus definitions are up-to-date, you should be OK.  Actually, hype can be a good thing.  It give us a “teachable moment,” an opportunity to start a conversation about Internet security.

If concerned about an infection, McAfee AVERT is offering a special version of its famous Stinger virus removal tool.  The Conficker Stinger is not a substitute for a full anti-virus application, but can help in the removal of the worm.  Click here to download the current version.

The gang talks with Pete Flores from the Texas AgriLife Extension about online training. Pete has given us some great audio on how he handles training online. To find out more about Pete and this classes that he is putting online, please visit his site @ Site for Learning Resources, enjoy !

Click to Listen to Bitbuckit 9

One reason to attend conferences is the opportunity to network with professionals who have interests similar to your own. The social networking application Twitter was a big part of this year’s NETC conference. Most folks don’t “get” Twitter at first, I know I didn’t, but I’ve been using it for about a year now and really enjoy the real time interaction with friends and co-workers.

To get some idea of how Twitter works, here’s a link to Twitter in Plain English from the CommonCraft Show.

Here is a great read for anyone surfing the net. PCMag.com’s list of 72 tips to help you be a safer computer user. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to read this article. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2254028,00.asp Here’s a tip from the article: Microsoft will provide free technical support if your question concerns viruses or spyware. Call 866-PCSafety (866-727-2338).