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New Windows virus tempts users with game of Tetris
BBC On-Line ^ | Thursday, 13 January, 2005 | staff writer

Posted on 01/13/2005 6:15:02 AM PST by yankeedame

Last Updated: Thursday, 13 January, 2005, 11:29 GMT

Windows worm travels with Tetris


The version of Tetris is recognisable and just as playable.

Users are being warned about a Windows virus that poses as the hugely popular Tetris game. The Cellery worm installs a playable version of the classic falling blocks game on PCs that it has infected.

While users play the game, the worm spends its time using the machine to search for new victims to infect on nearby networks.

The risk of infection by Cellery is thought to be very low as few copies of the worm have been found in the wild.

Protect yourself

The Cellery worm does not spread via e-mail like many other viruses. Instead it browses computer networks for PCs that have not shut off all the insecure ways they connect to other machines.

When it infects a machine, Cellery installs a version of Tetris that users can play. As the game starts up the worm also starts a music file to accompany it.

At the same time the virus starts scouring networks for other vulnerable machines.

The virus does no damage to machines but heavily infected networks could slow down as scanning traffic builds. Productivity may suffer too if users spend time playing Tetris.

PCs running Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, and XP could be vulnerable to the worm.

"If your company has a culture of allowing games to be played in the office, your staff may believe this is simply a new game that has been installed - rather than something that should cause concern," said Graham Cluley, spokesman for anti-virus firm Sophos.

So far the number of people infected by Cellery is thought to be very small and the risks of further infection is very low.

Sophos urged users and companies to update their anti-virus software to keep themselves protected.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: exploit; getamac; internetexploiter; lookoutexpress; lowqualitycrap; patch; securityflaw; trojan

1 posted on 01/13/2005 6:15:02 AM PST by yankeedame
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To: yankeedame

2 posted on 01/13/2005 6:15:48 AM PST by yankeedame ("Oh, I can take it but I'd much rather dish it out.")
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To: yankeedame

I have got to keep this away from my mom.


3 posted on 01/13/2005 6:37:03 AM PST by MinstrelBoy (What will you do without freedom?!)
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To: yankeedame
Tetris rawks!! I had it on my Game Boy. I was the FIRST kid in my class to have a Game Boy, in 1991. I must've spent literally thousands of hours playing Tetris on that Game boy.

Productivity may suffer too if users spend time playing Tetris.

Now this is not somethign you can blame on the virus!

4 posted on 01/13/2005 6:37:31 AM PST by Decombobulator
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To: KylaStarr; Cindy; StillProud2BeFree; nw_arizona_granny; Revel; Velveeta; Dolphy; Viking2002; ...

FYI ping


5 posted on 01/13/2005 7:44:37 AM PST by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Decombobulator

Back in the late 80's, we had a version of it that ran on Unix and you played it on dumb terminals.


6 posted on 01/13/2005 7:55:18 AM PST by Mannaggia l'America
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To: Calpernia

Thanks for the ping!


7 posted on 01/13/2005 8:11:09 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Alamo-Girl

ROFL!

Sorry for all the pings this morning.


8 posted on 01/13/2005 8:12:01 AM PST by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: yankeedame

Those bastards! Taking something as great as Tetris and making it into a virus.


9 posted on 01/13/2005 8:12:49 AM PST by retrokitten
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To: Calpernia

No problem! I find all of your pings interesting - the breeder one today was particularly interesting to me!!!


10 posted on 01/13/2005 8:16:16 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: yankeedame

With all the free and excellent firewalls and virus protection and everything, I am shocked at how many people still get infected with viruses. I am truly amazed also at how many people still open email and download attachments from people yhet don't know or don't have the email scanned first. I know a person who got fired from 2 different jobs for opening personal email at work and infecting the companies computer networks. She has also had it happen to her 3 or 4 times at home too.


11 posted on 01/13/2005 8:17:36 AM PST by Pylon (R)
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To: Alamo-Girl

Thanks. I just got a chuckle with all the 'thanks for the pings' in a row and I thought, 'my goodness, I didn't realize I pinged that much this morning!'

Let me know if I fill the my comments box too much!


12 posted on 01/13/2005 8:19:44 AM PST by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: yankeedame
I appreciate the fact that the author of the article correctly labels it a windows virus rather than just a "computer virus" as many of them are. Many of us FReepers long ago abandoned gatesware for something more secure and reliable.

Viral Tetris - Yet another reason to be glad to be microsoft free!

13 posted on 01/13/2005 8:57:32 AM PST by zeugma (Come to the Dark Side...... We have cookies!)
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To: Calpernia

LOLOLOL! I will. Actually, I do get multiple pings to the same thread and will often not check the second or third time. So if you don't get an acknowledgement it is probably because I've been there before.


14 posted on 01/13/2005 9:25:47 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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