Is it real or is it an elaborate worldwide April Fool's Day hoax?
That's what computer users and experts around the planet are pondering on Tuesday and they'll know in less than 24 hours if the Conflicker virus lives up to its hype.
In case you haven't heard about this latest worm making the rounds in the PC world, it's a program which some believe could have the ability to infect as many as 15 million computers around the planet - or none, depending on who you're listening to.
The virus is supposedly set to go off on April 1st - the day for fools - but no one seems to know exactly what its purpose might be.
Reports have warned it could allow hackers to get access to personal files, turn your machine into a spam zombie, uncontrollably sending out thousands of ads to others, or be used as part of a 'denial of service' attack on a big site. Those occur when thousands or even millions of computers try to reach the same site at the same time, knocking it offline.
"I think people should be very worried in a sense that what can happen is that your PC could be used for launching a spam attack or worse, your personal, private information can be stolen," advises Lynn Hargrove of anti-virus software giant Symantec.
Many seem to believe it exists and that it will have some at least some effect. Others aren't so sure.
So what is the Conflicker virus and how do you get it? It first surfaced in November, taking advantage of a hole in Microsoft's Windows operating system. It can be acquired by downloading it in a program and unless - or if - it strikes, chances are you won't even know it's there unless you're looking for it.
A lot of high profile places appear to have fallen victim to it. The BBC reports it's been found in computers at the British House of Commons and in defence forces PCs in Britain, Germany and France.
Analysts who've taken it apart say it's timed to go off on April 1st but they haven't been able to say exactly what it will do or who created it. Some have noted the day of its supposed detonation, and are openly calling it a hoax.
It's believed whatever happens is related to money and several experts contend you may not see anything at all, with the programmers of the virus preferring to let it work in the background and allowing unsuspecting PCs to carry out its mysterious job, which appears to be making its creators some illicit cash.
But how they'll do that and by what nefarious means remains unknown.
So what can you do? Experts suggest updating your virus protection and running a scan to see if it can be detected on your machine. Also update your version of Windows to get the latest protection.
Make sure you have a firewall to keep the bad guys out.
Beware of what you download and use only trusted sites.
Change your passwords. The virus seems to have a cracking programming designed to decipher your secret entry codes. Making them harder to guess could keep the effects at bay. The best passwords use a random combination of numbers and letters, both upper and lowercase, and should be more than six figures long. They're harder to remember but also harder to duplicate.
Watch out what you plug into your computer. The virus can easily be lurking on someone's USB key.
Microsoft has issued a patch to address the original vulnerability and ensure those without it don't catch it now.
You can find out more about it here. If you do get the worm, the PC giant
has a removal tool here. Other services are
providing a free tool here.
As for the threat? So far, it hasn't turned up. It's already April 1st in other parts of the world and there have been no reports of anything untoward happening to PCs on that side of the earth.
And if it's a joke? Well, at this point, no one is willing to take that chance - and very few Windows users are laughing, including Microsoft, which has put up a $250,000 reward to catch its creators.