‘60 Minutes’: What’s next for the Conficker worm?

The following is a transcript of a “60 Minutes” report on Internet viruses that aired Sunday.

 

The Internet is infected. Malicious computer hackers have been creating more and more weapons that they plant on the Internet. They call their weapons viruses and worms–they’re creepy, crawly toxic software that contaminate our computers without our ever knowing it. You can be infected by simply visiting your favorite Web site, or just by leaving your computer on, overnight while you’re asleep.

And the problem is growing, exponentially. Last year the number of infections tripled. And an entire industry of computer security professionals is in a race to keep the hackers from their goal, which is usually to steal your money.

One of the most dangerous threats ever, a computer worm known as “Conficker,” is spreading through the Internet right now. By some estimates, 10 million computers have been infected worldwide.

At Symantec, the company that makes Norton antivirus software, engineers have been tracking Conficker since last November as it worms its way across the globe.

“This map is showing a visual representation of where all of the known infections of Conficker are across the world,” explained Steve Trilling, a Symantec vice president who says the worm is now living on millions of computers, mainly in corporations.

So far, the bad guys who created it haven’t triggered Conficker. It’s just sitting out there like a sleeper cell.

“Imagine a network of spies that has infiltrated a country. And every day, all of the spies are calling in for their instructions on what to do next,” Trilling explained.

Asked what the worm is being asked to do, Trilling told Stahl, “That’s the interesting thing. The only thing the worm is being asked to do is to ask for further instructions.”

For several months, Trilling says the worm has just been sitting there, awaiting instructions.

It’s that ominous, because once the hackers issue instructions, Conficker could turn menacing in an instant.

With one click, the worm’s creator can instruct it to suck sensitive data, like bank passwords and account numbers, out of millions of computers, or launch a massive spam attack to clog up the works.

The newest targets of worms are social networking sites. Trilling demonstrated to Stahl how it might work.

Looking at a real Facebook page, Trilling explained, “We added your friend and colleague Morley Safer, you can see down there on the left.”