‘Storm Worm’ Email Virus returns, raising fears of fresh Spam Flood
The Storm Worm has returned. This email virus, which first attacked in January 2007, tries to trick recipients into opening an executable attachment file that can hijack their computers. Security companies have said that Storm Worm has managed to quickly drive global virus levels 60 times higher than their daily average.
Security firm Postini has said that the reported increases were based on the compilation of over 2 billion messages per day!
According to warning notices from Postini as well as VeriSign, which also has been following the threat, Storm Worm can be installed by clicking on the email executable attachment file which installs a rootkit with anti-security measures that mask the malicious software’s presence from virus scans and shut down security programs that may be running.
Once installed on a personal computer, Storm Worm takes control of the machine by adding the infected PC to a “bot army” of compromised computers that are connected to a custom peer-to-pear network where it can download new updates, upload personal information from the compromised computer, and scan e-mail addresses to send out spam to further the attacks.
John McDonald, head of antivirus firm Symantec’s Asia-Pacific security response unit, says the virus hides behind a password because this stops it being scanned by antivirus software.
The infected computer can hardly be notice. To the user of an infected PC, “it appears as if nothing has happened,” said Adam Swidler, senior manager of solutions marketing at Postini.
The virus can be detected by up-to-date antivirus software. Its spread can be control by most Internet providers using up-to-date virus filters. These filters should stop it before it reaches inboxes.
However, the best solution to avoid serious trouble, said Swidler, is to delete any e-mails with subject lines that refer to the worms or the word love. “Definitely don’t click the attachments,” he added.
RSS |
Permanent Link
|
Del.icio.us
|
Cosmos
|
Digg
|
|
April 16th, 2007 at 12:33 am
There is no mention of which operating systems are susceptible to this virus, and this is a serious disservice to your readers. Take our case: After 15 years, we are spending a good deal of money switching our business entirely to Intel Mac’s, primarily for security reasons, though usability is also improved. We run a small number of PC-only programs (flawlessly) in virtual machines on our Macs at the same time as running OS X. The PC side of the Mac does not have email and is limited to only a few IP addresses on the net. We do not currently use any antivirus protection for the PC or the Mac sides.
Incidentally, we do software and firmware for robotics education and research. (No battle bots or hobby work products) and we have been dealing with the horrors or Microsoft internals for many years. Their operating systems are houses of cards, and they continue to be so because with Microsoft’s monopoly position (threatened by the Clinton administration but then predictably left virtually untouched by Bush) allows them to get away with it.
Your news organization should not be part of this silence.
It may be that reporters or news outlets are being intimidated by Microsoft’s legal clout so that no mention is made that these are windows problems. (At least I expect they are. Certainly, if these were OS X or Linux problems they would be generating a different kind of story altogether.) But whether the omission is from fear or laxity or some other source, it is a glaring omission all the same.
I think you have to decide whether you are reporters or shills.