A malicious computer worm that infected some British military systems earlier this month hasn’t infiltrated U.S. Army networks in Europe, according to 5th Signal Command in Germany.
The Conficker worm has already infected more than 10 million Windows-based computers worldwide, making it the largest of its type ever, according to various computer security analysts.
The Pentagon would not comment on whether the worm, which also goes by the names "Downadup" and "Kido," has penetrated any Defense Department networks, but acknowledged its systems are under daily attack from a variety of sources.
U.S. Air Forces in Europe declined to respond directly to questions about the worm.
Earlier this month, Conficker infiltrated some low-level British military systems, knocking out Internet and e-mail capabilities on one of its ships, according to the British Ministry of Defence.
The worm is programmed to spread among local area networks and blocks attempts to find or remove it, according to F-Secure, an anti-virus and computer security software company based in Helsinki, Finland.
The worm is believed capable of creating a worldwide "botnet" that could be used for anything from sending spam to stealing passwords and bank data, according to security experts.
After a full sweep, the Army’s 5th Signal Command "found no infection" on any Army systems in Europe, said Kristopher Joseph, a signal command spokesman.
"That said, there have been constant failed intrusion attempts," but current anti-virus software protects against it, he said.
Microsoft released a patch in October to close a security gap the worm exploits, but computers without the update are at risk.
