On April 1, some computer users might find themselves on the receiving end of a bad joke.
Consumers are being warned about a computer bug that's already infected at least three million machines around the world.
It's called the Conficker worm.
Anthony Chase, a technician from Tweaks by Geeks, says the worm is a threat to Microsoft Windows users.
"It's one of the most common worms that we see in here. I'd say probably 95 percent of the infections that we have come into the shop are Conficker," says Chase.
If your machine is infected, you'll definitely notice a problem. "It causes severe network congestion. It has a tendency to completely take up processor resources. It'll max out the CPU usage. Makes the system completely unusable pretty much," he says.
Once infected, the Conficker worm is difficult to get rid of.
"We've found a means to get rid of the infection in, I'd say probably 90 percent of the cases, but of course if the infection is left to simmer too long, the only thing you can do is really just wipe and reload the operating system," says Chase.
To protect yourself, experts recommend making sure you install Microsoft's patch.
"Turn on Windows Updates. Make sure that you're completely patched, that you have all of your updates installed."
As for the April Fool's part of the bug, no one's sure what will really happen Wednesday.
"There could be something more malicious or something just funny that could happen on April 1st," he says.
Experts also recommend you install anti-virus software on your computer and make sure it's updated and current. Also if your computer is connected to the Internet, make sure you set up a firewall.
Click here to view Microsoft's virus alert about the Conficker worm.
Check out CNN.com's article on the Conficker worm.
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