"There are a lot of companies that are putting a lot on the line to do it," said Rick Wesson, CEO of network security consultancy Support Intelligence. "It sucked up everybody's time, we're not being paid to do this, and it's fantastic. Everybody feels good about doing this."

The stakes are high. Now estimated at between 2 million and 4 million computers, Conficker would be the world's largest botnet -- by a lot. Generally botnets with a few hundred thousand computers are considered to be a major threat.

The Working Group's approach harkens back to the early days of the Internet, when a close-knit group of enthusiasts, kept the network up and running. "It was like an Amish barn building party," Vixie said. "Everybody would just haul over there and get it done."

In the 90s that cooperative spirit abated, as people with technical skills were snatched up by Internet companies, many of whom were locked in fierce competition with each other. But recently, that sense of "harsh competition" has abated, Vixie said. "Economic tides being what they are, people are focused on preserving what remains of the industry rather than muscling in on a larger market share."

Last year, Vixie got a taste of this new spirit of cooperation when found himself in a roomful of competitors, all working out a solution to a major bug in the Domain Name System (DNS). More impressively, none of the work leaked out until everyone had a chance to patch.