Over the last several days, you are sure to have read or heard about the conficker worm that is supposed to infect unprotected computers on or after April 1. While this newsletter may be a bit late for some of you, I wanted to take the opportunity to re-emphasize principles of keeping your PC and your data safe.

The vulnerability that gave rise to this attack method was detected in Windows back in October 2008, and Microsoft released a security patch to eliminate the vulnerability. Any Windows computer that is up to date on security patches, anti-virus protection and strong passwords is protected.

Any computers covered by our Biz Tech Managed Services (BTMS) plan is already checked for security updates and anti-virus status on a regular basis. So these users need not be concerned.

We suggest that all users of Windows or any PC have strong passwords protecting their Windows account. I know it is a nuisance to have it on your home PC, but the protection it offers is worth the trouble.

Most PCs are now covered as far as getting security updates automatically downloaded and installed.

So let's hope this one is an April Fool joke. You can read what Microsoft has to say by clicking on the link below.

Microsoft article about Conficker