BY RICH SCHAPIRO 

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Updated Wednesday, April 1st 2009, 1:30 AM

Conficker has computer users scared... or will it prove to be nothing but an April Fools Day joke?

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• What to do if your computer gets infected by the Conficker worm

The computer world is bracing for the retooling of a virus so menacing that Microsoft has offered a $250,000 bounty for tracking down its shadowy creator.

Called the Conficker worm, the nasty computer bug already has poisoned up to 12 million computers and is feared to launch a new wave of cybercrimes Wednesday.

"The worm represents a very successful Internet worm, the likes of which we haven't seen for five or six years," said Don DeBolt, head of threat research for New York IT firm, CA.

After the first version of Conficker began infecting computers in October by exploiting a Microsoft Windows security hole, it hasn't spawned many symptoms.

But experts fear April Fools' Day may mark the date when a master computer gains control of all the infected machines and wreaks havoc.

"It's a very large number of machines that can be used for cybercrimes," said Kevin Haley, director of Semantic Security Response. "The big question is what kind of cybercrime might that be."

The scenarios are many.

The virus could delete all files on a person's computer, shut down Web sites or enable its creators to steal credit card numbers, passwords and other identifying information.

Experts say the virus might also attempt to get computer users to buy phony software or other bogus products.

"We don't necessarily know what the endgame of the authors is right now, and that's what's gotten everybody so worked up," DeBolt said.

What makes Conficker especially nasty is that it spreads without human involvement and prevents infected computers from downloading software designed to destroy it.

The sophistication of the bug has convinced some experts the Conficker mastermind is not a single individual.

"They have very advanced skills, and they're very quick at what they do," DeBolt said.