Just as many computer security experts began to believe it was a fluke, the Conficker virus apparently slowly became active weeks after its expected April 1 launch date.

The worm, which started spreading to millions of computers last year, appears to be turning its infected hosts into servers for e-mail spam, security experts told Reuters.

Analysts have yet to discover the source of the malware, but Vincent Weafer, a vice president with Symantec Security Response said the creators began using infected machines for criminal purposes in recent weeks by installing a second virus, called Waledac onto some computers.

The second virus turns the PC into a botnet that sends out e-mail spam. A third virus, also carried by Conficker, prompts infected PC owners to purchase a fake anti-virus program called Spyware Protect 2009 for $49.95.

Researchers first believed the virus would become active on April 1, because it was programmed to increase communication attempts from that date forward.

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