Daily Skiff

Despite an uproar over a potential crippling computer worm around the country, TCU and its computers will not be affected, a university official said.

The worm, called Conficker, is a program that attacks a loophole in the Microsoft Windows operating system and currently has infected more than 12 million personal computers since its conception in November, according to a Microsoft blog.

Technology Resources sent out a campus-wide e-mail warning students about the virus Monday.

On April 1, Conficker is expected to change its code, said Barbara McClellan, information security engineer for Technology Resources. What that will entail is currently unknown, she said.

"For all we know, it could be a hoax," McClellan said.

Arstechnica.com, a technology Web site for computer enthusiasts, reported in January that a variation of the worm infected more than 1 million computers in less than a day. Although Microsoft patched the hole in October, the risk for infection arises when people don't install the Windows security updates, McClellan said.

Although the worm is expected to affect millions of computers, TCU remains safe, she said.

"We have scanned all the computers at the school, and we have had no incidents," McClellan said.

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