Conficker Hitting Hardest in Asia, Latin America
Computer networks in Asia and Latin America are the most susceptible to a fast-spreading computer worm, which has infected between 6 million and 9 million PCs worldwide, security experts said.
According to Symantec, China and Argentina are the countries that have been hit hardest by the worm, which started spreading about two months ago but is thought to have infected millions over the past few weeks. China accounts for close to 29 percent of the infections tracked by Symantec, and Argentina was second with just over 11 percent, according to Alfred Huger, vice president of Symantec Security Response. "We're not seeing anywhere near the number of infections in western Europe and North America."
The worm, known by several names including Conficker and Downandup, has been spreading by taking advantage of a flaw in a Windows Server service that Microsoft patched last October. Conficker can also spread by guessing administrative passwords on a network and infecting USB devices that connect to computers.
