The worm was identified by Microsoft in 2012. Computer viruses don’t naturally evolve to evade defences so hopefully if other computers are sufficiently updated and secured they won’t be vulnerable. But then again this is the it subdepartment of some random government department which acts via countless local authorities, academy trusts, and contractors while doing things in the way which is both most cheap and best at avoiding culpability for themselves.

Probably the messaging is, like all policies towards the poor and disadvantaged, well meaning, but those people who are most nannied by the state are, quite reasonably considering the way this always goes, less likely to trust the government’s statements. In this case presumably the DfE want to avoid parents pulling their children’s ability to get online school because of the latest government cock up.

Given that this is the BBC and not a technical source, I'd be more willing to write this off as the author having no idea what a self-propagating network worm's implications are.