So April first has come and gone, there were a couple pranks in my office (one involving an optical mouse and a post it note), but nothing from the likes of Conficker. As an IT manager I was a bit concerned and releived that there was no mass outbreak of problems yesterday. Concerned because there still is no telling if the worm is doing anything other than registering domain names, and if there is something coming, no one is sure what it will be and relieved because I made it through yesterday no worse for wear.

So why the blog post? Conficker has been done to death lately and the hype is over now. I thought I would share a few things that I learned from this little experience.

1. The media needs to report these things but let the tech media do the reporting

Getting a video clip on 60 Minutes to talk about this nasty worm is overkill, most home users need to know to patch their systems and keep Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware applications up to date. They do not need to see a news reporter discuss how bad it is going to be. Same goes for the economy in many areas.

I liked the piece they did, but a tech reporter, would have been a better choice. Maybe Scoble would have taken on the task?

2. The mainstreaming of Conficker and computer issues is a wake up call

This should be seen as a wake up call for IT Administrators and home users alike that no matter how big or small the risk, patching your system is necessary. And the $30-$50/year for Anti-virus is worth the price of admission.

3. Big news doesn’t mean big problem (yet)

Just because something is hyped and all over the web and the media doesn’t mean everyone should panic, rather just know these things are out there and that sometimes there are bad things around that will take advantage of unpatched systems.

On a personal front I am glad things were and remain quiet, but will always be wary of viruses and worms and other bad things that may appear. If technology changes all the time, the exploits can do the same. Better safe than sorry.