Of the millions of desktop viruses in the world probably the most sophisticated and most talked about is the conficker worm also known as Downadup. As of April 2009 security experts are still unsure what the intentions of this virus are but it is very likely to be for the illegal purpose of stealing personal information such as credit card details and passwords from the infected computers.

How do I know if I am Infected with the Conficker Worm?

1. Conficker blocks access to over one hundred security and anti virus websites, so if you are having difficulty entering a security site or your anti virus program isn’t updating this may be a symptom.

2. If you have trouble entering some directories or files on your desktop, Conficker may be blocking them from being accessed.

3. If you are unable to get access to shared access to admin on your system this is mostly Conficker.

4. If you have tasks scheduled on your desktop that you have no knowledge of, do a little research as this could also be Conficker.

Use the Conficker Eye Chart

One of the easiest and most ingenious ways of checking for conficker is to use a conficker eye chart. This simple chart of six images with each image linked to the homepage of a major anti virus or security site will quickly tell you if you system is infected. If when looking at the chart you see all six of the images theres is a good chance your system is clean.  If you are unable see some of the images Conficker could be blocking access to one or more of the security sites so there is a good chance your desktop is infected.

Act now before its too late.

As I mentioned at the start of this article it is not know the true intention of the Downadup virus and it is growing stronger and constantly updating itself. Experts currently fear over 4 million systems are infected with Conficker with this number rising fast. Make sure your system isn’t one of them!