Conficker - deadly worm or potent marketing weapon?

It's April 1st and the dreaded Conficker worm is set to unleash havoc upon millions of PCs. We're told to be extra vigilant with our net use, beware of USB sticks and, of course, update our security packages. Otherwise we could risk, well, anything and everything - no-one seems to know.

So far though, there's been no sign of hell breaking loose but security companies are still "braced" for the worst malware attack ever.

I don't want to speak too soon, and I know that if I'm proven wrong, it could possibly be at the expense of many people's personal details, but if one noticeable thing has come out of all the Conficker hype, it's that security companies are getting their names into the papers.

Before any of us heard the name Conficker, or Downadup, how many of us actually read about McAfee, Symantec, Kaspersky or Trend Micro in the national newspapers? Now, though, the Conficker worm seems to be the biggest threat to our safety since the atom bomb was invented.

I'd be intrigued to know just how many more visits security companies' websites have seen since news of this "fatal worm" broke, and just how many more consumers have bought or updated security solutions.

In the current climate, people are spending less on things that they don't value. For most people, security solutions don't come too high up on their list of concerns, so there's never been more cause for security providers to publicise what they do and why it's important.

I'm not suggesting that there's some sort of conspiracy among security companies, or that Conficker is some mythical beast that doesn't actually exist. I'm just suggesting that the whole thing may have possibly been blown out of proportion.

New viruses and worms regularly come onto the scene, and each time a new one hits a high profile person or company, it's "unlike any other" that security companies have ever seen before. Well, it has to be, doesn't it? If they'd seen it before then their anti-virus solutions would (or at least should) have nullified the threat before it's had any effect.

But with Conficker, the hype has been extraordinary. The national media is today reporting news that the worm hasn't had the effect (yet) that everyone expected it to. So, the news today is that the April 1st Conficker attack is a non-event. And who exactly expected it to happen? Well, the security companies. These companies told the media that this is the most potent threat they've ever seen, and we in turn, told the public. But just now, I'm starting to wonder have we all fallen for an elaborate April Fool's prank?