Conficker Dominates This Week's Hot Google Searches

Fears of the Conficker computer virus rocked the nation this week, according to an analysis of Google search data.

"Conficker virus" was the #1 rising Google search of the last seven days, according to Google Insights for Search. Conficker is a virus that targets Microsoft Windows, and it was widely feared to be launching on April 1.

Various related searches were sprinkled through the top ten: "conficker" at #3, "conficker worm" at #4, "microsoft.com" at #5, "microsoft updates" at #7, "mcafee" (the virus company) at #8, and "windows update" at #10.

Elsewhere, "April fools jokes" came in at #2, "Earth Hour" — which took place on March 28 — ranked #6, and the hit movie "Monsters vs. Aliens" came in at #9. The full list appears below:

Rising searches, as defined by Google, are "searches that have experienced significant growth in a given time period, with respect to the preceding time period."

Top Rising Google Search Terms, March 28-April 3, 2009
Percentages indicate growth in search volume as compared to the previous seven days
1. conficker virus +2900%
2. april fools jokes +2850%
3. conficker +1500%
4. conficker worm +1450%
5. microsoft.com +550%
6. earth hour +500%
7. microsoft updates +400%
8. mcafee +250%
9. monsters vs aliens +180%
10. windows update +130%

Read news related to these rising Google searches on HuffPost:

• Conficker Worm Reaches Go Time, To No Effect
• April Fools 2009! The Best Pranks Of This Year (VIDEO)
• Earth Hour 2009: Cities Around The World Turning Off The Lights
• 'Monsters vs. Aliens' Rakes In Huge $58.2M

Comments

[tbone99]

08:59 PM on 04/04/2009

Only going to prove that computers are self obsessed and narcisstic.

[AmericanNorton]

01:01 AM on 04/05/2009

HA! the computers are Googling themselves.

[RedBlue7]

06:11 PM on 04/04/2009

VOTE: 2 things which made America a prosperous nation until 2001...
http://www.e-paperview.com/epaper-poll-1.html/

[poiuyty]

05:21 PM on 04/04/2009

All my friends from the coffee shop where I drink my lattes made with fair trade organic beans love macs.

[wordvarc]

06:20 PM on 04/04/2009

Me too.

My PC's require an extra 4+ hrs/month each messing with anti-virus, registry cleaning, malware scanning, etc.etc. etc. to keep it from slowing or crashing.

[rf-hawaii]

06:47 PM on 04/04/2009

Yep, you can thank Microsoft. Windows is the virus. Those things that infect are the plugins.

[AmericanNorton]

01:03 AM on 04/05/2009

Sure. That is why I'm constantly fixing my wife's Mac after it crashes. Computers are computers. It is not the OS that is flawed it is the users.

[StephBr]

02:19 PM on 04/04/2009

""You bet, Macs are cool. Until they become the big kid on the block. Then watch how many hackers take the challenge and start focusing on Mac code."""

You seem to forget that a hacker's main goal is recognition from his peers. Imagine the fame and glory for the first one to infect Macs. Don't think they are not trying!

[firelord5000]

02:55 PM on 04/04/2009

You do realize that mac's have already been hacked and infected to prove that it is doable, past that, they care not about recognition. Or maybe you didn't hear about the guy who hacked the mac in GASP 2 MINUTES! http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/gone-in-2-minutes-mac-gets-hacked-first-in-contest-676 PS, that guy isn't even the a-team.

[StephBr]

03:02 PM on 04/04/2009

You do realize this has nothing to do with Virii?

[rf-hawaii]

06:49 PM on 04/04/2009

Macs OS is based on Unix which is a world more secure than Windows. Nothing is immune, but Windows has always been a low-security mess.

[isis]

02:01 PM on 04/04/2009

Earth hour #6. That's a happy surprise.

[foxisms]

12:52 PM on 04/04/2009

You bet, Macs are cool. Until they become the big kid on the block. Then watch how many hackers take the challenge and start focusing on Mac code.

[NKR]

05:29 PM on 04/04/2009

Mac code is pretty solid, whereas Windows isn't. Its not impossible to infect a Mac, but its not very easy like Windows. The "Macs don't get infected because there are far less of them" argument doesn't hold up to scrutiny. If Macs ever become the big kids on the block, which could only happen if their prices went down, I still don't think they'd be anywhere near as virus prone.

[sleeper414]

12:47 PM on 04/04/2009

all this pc vs mac is nonsense.

i have both.
they both occasionally crash.

windows does some good things.
macs do some good things.

if you know how to use computers you shouldnt have problems with either.

then....after a while, you get brave and tru ubuntu.

and find yourself using ubuntu more and more....

[robotfog]

03:16 PM on 04/04/2009

yeah. Ubuntu is good.

[rf-hawaii]

08:01 PM on 04/04/2009

Ubuntu's price is wonderful.

[rf-hawaii]

06:53 PM on 04/04/2009

"i have both
they both occasionally crash."

A sample size of one is of little value.

The Unix OS was designed from the beginning to be much more secure than Windows. Mac and Ubuntu (Linux) are both based on Unix.

Unix was multi-user from the beginning. Security was necessary just to keep people from making mistakes that affected other users.

[Tommi2]

12:42 PM on 04/04/2009

˙pǝʇɔǝɟuı snɹıʌ sı ɔd sʍopuıʍ ɐʇsıʌ ʎɯ ʞuıɥʇ ı

˙ɥƃnoɥʇ ǝɹns ǝq ı uɐɔ ʍoɥ
--------_______________---_____---_
.

Oh...when I switch to my mac, everything is better.

[firelord5000]

01:22 PM on 04/04/2009

Lol, spamming, yet not replying to being called out to your previous post, must work for apple... too bad for you macs will never surpass pc's, I guess its a good thing for people who have no idea about viruses, and think they are protected because its a mac, instead of understanding that hackers do not want to waste their time exploiting less then 5% of market when they can go after 95%.

[porkchopsnoapplesauce]

08:42 PM on 04/04/2009

¡looɔ ǝɹ,noʎ 'ʍoʍ

[tailgateshirts]

12:06 PM on 04/04/2009

macs cost way more for the same specs and people dont make viruses for them as often because there arent as many out there, so its a waste of effort.

[rf-hawaii]

06:57 PM on 04/04/2009

Apple has a very different marketing model. If Steve Jobs wasn't so egotistical Apple would own a much larger chunk of the market by now. Apple has always pretended to be a bigger player than they are. It hasn't served them well.

[StrayTalk]

12:01 PM on 04/04/2009

I pay more for my food, shoes or a car. Why wouldn't I pay more for better quality or a better computer? Funny how 90% of my hassles with a computer ended when I bought my first mac. If you like pcs- great what do I care? I don't own stock in Apple. By the way....what is a Norton Antivirus?

[sleeper414]

12:41 PM on 04/04/2009

Apple, for good people who haven't discovered Ubuntu.

[zaumbi]

12:54 PM on 04/04/2009

Amen.

[firelord5000]

01:20 PM on 04/04/2009

Just shows you are a nincompoop. If you wana pay more for better quality, you get far better hardware in a pc than a mac for same price, as for asking about NA, my first statement stands. You buy a good security software say ZoneAlarm, McAfee, NA, you pay like 200 bucks for 4+ years, guess what, you are as safe as a mac, still spend less money for same hardware, and don't have to worry about your software not working with a mac.

[StrayTalk]

01:39 PM on 04/04/2009

So I would guess you call your neighbor names also because he doesn't buy the same car as you.
Bet you are a pretty popular guy.

[hegdehog]

11:37 AM on 04/04/2009

Here's a funny joke I made up:

Q: Why don't Macs get viruses?
A: They don't need them.

Here are a few examples:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1541

[NKR]

05:48 PM on 04/04/2009

That is quite a joke, I just don't know how funny it is. I've had a Mac for 4 years. I've never had a virus despite doing most of the things you're supposed to be careful with on Windows for fear of viruses, its still as fast (or very near) to when I bought it, applications crash very rarely, it never freezes up, etc. It did however have a startup issue once, but it was easily fixed. During that time I temporarily used a PC with Norton Antivirus protection. Within a week a virus messed it up so badly that the HD had to be reformatted. Not to say anything about Mac's superior, far better looking interface/OS and other advantages. One issue over 4 years vs. one issue in 4 days...hard decision. I would never ever consider buying a PC again.

[Tena]

10:51 AM on 04/04/2009

I cannot resist my self-satisfaction at being a mac user. Isn't that what we're famous for: being self-satisfied?

I had a PC. It was utterly destroyed by viruses and worms the summer of the big Trojan horse worm attack. Dumped it, got a mac and never looked back and never will. I'm on my 3d mac.

[firelord5000]

11:00 AM on 04/04/2009

So... what you are saying is you are lazy and careless? Congrats on not knowing how to use a PC and paying an extra 300+ for same hardware, and with a little sense and internet security software woulda never had to worry about viruses and worms.

[hegdehog]

11:01 AM on 04/04/2009

You shouldn't brag about owning a computer that was "utterly destroyed" by viruses and worms. It says more about you than it does about your computer or your OS. Most computer users don't have the kinds of problems you did. Does that tell you anything?

The most dangerous security risk is an ignorant or careless user. A Mac can't save you from that. Secunia and others post plenty of security advisories for Mac users. The reason you think you're safe is because you don't read them.

[Pippilangstrumpf]

11:18 AM on 04/04/2009

That's true. I have always had macs and feel smug about the whole virus thing.

But my teenage son has had a PC for the last 6 years and has never had a virus. And that is because he is pretty scrupulous about how he uses the computer and also keeping up with software updates and virus protection...or whatever it is he does.

That being said, a Mac users chances of getting a virus are something like one in 16 million. A pc users chance of getting a virus is something like one in 4.

[NKR]

06:35 PM on 04/04/2009

"The most dangerous security risk is an ignorant or careless user. A Mac can't save you from that"

Actually it can...with Macs you don't really need to learn anything about how to protect yourself from malware, you don't have to use caution downloading music or visiting any websites or watching flash TV shows/movies online. You don't even need Antivirus protection. Unless you're running Windows too. The only thing you need to have is your firewall on.

"Most computer users don't have the kinds of problems you did"

Uhmm...Why exactly is the top Google search for a virus that has infected millions, then? Including people who probably paid a lot of attention to security, like the French Navy...''

I'm getting sick of all the bitter PC users bashing Mac users just for being happy about switching to Mac.

[hegdehog]

10:44 AM on 04/04/2009

Conficker was patched in October of 2008. Anyone who had problems with Conficker.C needs to take their updates WAY more seriously. This was a huge load of crap, engineered by an ignorant media and anti-virus companies eager for new customers.

[firelord5000]

11:04 AM on 04/04/2009

Actually it was all media.

[hegdehog]

11:19 AM on 04/04/2009

I would agree to an extent. The anti-virus companies were merely willing enablers, as they provided "experts" for endless interviews about the potential "danger" this worm poses. There's nothing quite like watching Heidi Collins of CNN asking someone from McAfee, "So, are we looking at a total meltdown here?" Yeah, Heidi. Total meltdown. Meanwhile, Microsoft is actually providing useful information about the next phase attack:

http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2009/03/27/update-on-conficker-d.aspx

[amyinkansas]

10:24 AM on 04/04/2009

Panicked phone call from my mom:
"Did you get my email about that virus?!?"
"Yes, mom."
"Did you do anything about it?!?"
"No, mom. I have a Mac."
"I don't know what that means."

[43P04T34]

11:25 AM on 04/04/2009

It means that your daughter always pays double what my kids pay for the same access to technology.

--Linus

[firelord5000]

01:24 PM on 04/04/2009

And she learns less, and when she gets a job and has to work on pcs, she'll be like zomg, whats this McAfee thing doing on my work pc!

[NKR]

06:38 PM on 04/04/2009

She might've paid double, but that computer will likely last twice as long if she updates the RAM after a few years. And when you're in college like your kids probably are, you don't want to have to worry about your computer suddenly freezing or crashing because of problems with Windows or Viruses.

[Tommi2]

10:18 AM on 04/04/2009

Wow. People still use PC's?

PC's are like "lava lamps". They give off light but it's inefficient light.



[firelord5000]

11:08 AM on 04/04/2009

That made no sense, hardware for pc's is further developed then macs at the high end, there is far more software that is only pc compatible, and guess what, nearly 95% of world uses em. As for claims of safety of mac, they are over exaggerated, its been proven that they can be hacked and infect, once again only reason they aren't cause so few people use them. With a little common sense and a good internet security software you are as safe, and guess what, you still spend same money for exactly same hardware!