In late 2008, the Internet was struck by “a worldwide digital blitzkrieg,” according to Mark Bowden. In his new book, “WORM: the First Digital World War,” he expounds on a destructive piece of malware that has puzzled experts and infected more than 12 million computers worldwide. It was called the Conficker worm, and it infected business networks, Britain’s defense ministry and parliament systems, France and Germany’s military computer networks, the Houston Municipal Court and Southwest Airlines among others.

In November 2008, the worm made its first appearance and by the first of December, it had established itself in 500,000 computers worldwide. Over time, the infected networks were saved, thanks to “The Cabal,” a group of Internet entrepreneurs, computer programmers and security experts who volunteered their time for five months to cripple the worm. But the question remains: How was the worm able to grow at such a rapid rate, infecting millions of computers within weeks?

The answer lies in the nature of the worm itself. Once it infiltrated one system, it was able to link it with others to form a single network under illegal outside control known as a “botnet.” When Conficker’s creators became aware that their creation was encountering resistance, they began refining the worm’s code to make it more difficult to trace. The Cabal was able to keep the worm contained by predicting and pre-registering all domain names it might seek to control.

The researcher’s attempts to quell the worm proved effective, and for the last two years, Conficker has been dormant.

WEIGH IN:

Who are the culprits behind this worm? Will the Cabal ever completely lock down the worm? Why was the U.S. reportedly weak in their response to all of this? How are we as individuals at risk?

Guest:

Mark Bowden, author of "WORM: the First Digital World War," writer for Vanity Fair and The Atlantic