Beware April Fool’s Day
There is a time honored tradition of playing practical jokes on people each year on the first day of April. Tricks range from mild to outrageous depending upon the nature of the trickster. Fun is fun, but it can be taken way too far. This year the tech world is ramping up to try and stop an April Fool’s Day disaster in the form of a computer worm called Conficker.
The danger in all pranks, done on April Fool’s Day or any other time of the year, is that the prankster will go too far and do something cruel, dangerous, or illegal. What should be a funny joke for all to share can become a costly mistake for the prankster and the victims. Here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Make sure what you’re doing isn’t illegal. Infecting computers with something akin to Conficker is illegal. There’s a bounty on the head of the creator and many legal difficulties in store if the creator is caught. Remember to think things all the way through here. Your prank might be completely harmless, but if you have to trespass on someone else’s property to do it, you could face legal trouble. Just so you know, plastering your friend’s house with toilet paper is vandalism and against the law and could actually get you in trouble.
2. Make sure no one will get hurt. This covers every possible aspect of that word "hurt." If there’s the chance that your joke will hurt someone physically, emotionally, financially, or in any other way, don’t do it! Not only could it cause trouble for you, but you also don’t want to hurt people. That’s not funny and that’s a fast way to lose friends.
3. Don’t set off a series of events you can’t control. Sometimes events are like dominos. Knock one over and they all come tumbling down. Be clear with the reveal of a prank quickly to avoid it spreading beyond your sphere of control.
4. Protect yourself. Come April 1st, take things with a grain of salt. If something seems strange, check it out before acting upon it.
The number one priority for a lot of people this April Fool’s should be to protect their computers from Conficker. No one knows exactly what it will do, but millions of computers are infected. The worm has been spreading since October with later versions that are far more virulent than the earlier ones. Make sure your virus software is up to date, run thorough checks on all your computers, and make sure that your virus software is actively running and checking for updates. Many companies are working round the clock to come up with a solution so keep yourself aware of changes as virus software companies and Microsoft announce them. As the day approaches make sure you’ve got all your bases covered.
And have a great April Fool’s tomorrow. Just kidding.
Related Links:
- Read more about the Conficker worm.
- Find out how to protect yourself from the worm.
