Storm Worm hits computers around the world

Reuters ^ | 01-19-07

[mfnorman]

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Computer virus writers attacked thousands of computers on Friday using an unusually topical email citing raging European storms, a security company said.

The virus, which the company named "Storm Worm," was emailed to hundreds of thousands of addresses globally with the subject line "230 dead as storm batters Europe."

An attached file contained so-called malware that can infiltrate computer systems.

"What makes this exceptional is the timely nature of the attack," Mikko Hypponen, head of research at Finnish data security firm F-Secure, told Reuters. . Hypponen said thousands of computers, most in private use, had been affected.

[mfnorman]

update your anti-virus software y'all. computer geeks on the warpath again!

[BallyBill]

I just got an email w/attachment that I deleted. It was obviously mailed to everyone in somebodies address book and it said something about "this not being a hoax and was verified by snopes.com". The address it came from (@aol) didn't match the listed reply address.
I'm sure I'll find out exactly what it was by someone who is unfortunate enough to open the attachment.

[toddlintown]

People who open .doc attachments on e-mails, especially from people they don't know, are idiots.

[randog]

People who open .doc attachments on e-mails, especially from people they don't know, are idiots.

Word.

;^)

[holymoly]

People who open .doc attachments on e-mails, especially from people they don't know, are idiots.

People who open any attachment received via an unsolicited email (i.e. they didn't specifically ask someone to send them the file), is an idiot.

With that being said, here are two excellent, free Anti-Virus programs, for those who may need one. Take your pick:

Avast!
AVG

[Condor51]

****People who open .doc attachments on e-mails, especially from people they don't know, are idiots.****

Huh, wait a sec. Then how are you supposed to meet new and interesting people if you don't open your mail?? Since I've been on the net, 1995 or so, I now have approximately 126,657 new friends thanks to email from complete strangers.

Not to mention that now my hair is no longer falling out, no longer suffer from erectile dysfunction, I can do it any time thanks to Viagra - AND any day I'll be a multi-millionaire thanks to this nice guy in Nigeria.

;-)

[ASA Vet]

The latest spam technique is using a news headline as an enticement to open the mail.
Folks opening spam deserve the virus.

[stockpirate]

Sorry but no one deserves a virus.

[ASA Vet]

It's a choice they've made.

[mfnorman]

yea, i get a lot of those kind of spam emails too. i love my norton anti-virus that scans every email and deletes any infected file.

[ASA Vet]

Additional thought.
The developer of the computer virus and the spammer also deserve a virus.
But I'd settle for tar and feathers.

[ASA Vet]

Most spam doesn't include a virus, only a stupid ad.
Obviously there are enough idiots out there to make the spamming worth the effort.

[varina davis]

I like Norton, too, for the most part, but it sure didn't detect whatever infiltrated my browser homepage in December. My registry is contaminated with a foreign homepage that I don't know how to delete. Maddening.

[Gorzaloon]

The address it came from (@aol) didn't match the listed reply address.

That was the "Osama Hanged" thread. An outdated warning.

Setting your spam filters to :BLACKHOLE FROM: AOL.COM is a good way of not getting these. I recently got a "Modem Tax" one from an AOL Account that had to be fifteen years old, at least- New people sign up as the rest flee.

Another way is to body filter "SEND THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW".

Anything in ALL CAPS is either Nigerian spam, or from AOL, both of which would not be missed.

[native texan]

Thanks for the info. I just updated my 'puter.

[AppyPappy]

We had a new Computer Security guy that also sent out the Diversity newsletter back in the 90's. The template for the newsletter was infected. Everything he posted the newsletter, people got infected.

And you couldn't tell him he was infected.

[Gomez]

Its not even a .doc file, It's an executable.

This was stopped by my ISP's filter:

Received: from source blah blah blah;
Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:55:26 CST
Received: from blah blah blah with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.1830); Thu,
18 Jan 2007 20:00:13 -0800
Message-ID:
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 20:00:13 -0800
From: blah blah blah
User-Agent: Thunderbird 1.5.0.9 (Windows/20061207)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: xxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx
Subject: 230 dead as storm batters Europe.
Content-Type: multipart/related;
boundary="------------070309030702060905050609"
X-pstn-levels: (S: 0.00000/96.03645 R:95.9108 P:95.9108 M:97.0282 C:98.6951 )
X-pstnvirus: AUTH-W32/Downloader.AYDY
X-pstn-settings: 5 (2.0000:2.0000) s gt3 gt2 gt1 r p m c
X-pstn-addresses: from [1682/72]
X-pstn-disposition: quarantine

Attachments:
application/x-msdownload; name="Full Video.exe"

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

People who open .doc attachments on e-mails, especially from people they don't know, are idiots.

True dat.

Everyone should be using Mailwasher or xTerminator 4.21 to get a look at their emails before they even get downloaded to their PCs.

[AppyPappy]

What's your e? I got the coolest cookie recipe.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Then how are you supposed to meet new and interesting people if you don't open your mail??

It ain't the email...it's the attachment.

At the very least...if it must be opened...use AVG Free to scan it before opening it. Even then, safer to delete it if you do not know the sender or did not ask for the file.

If you MUST have a file, far safer to use ftp. These days, most people have broadband internet access. Which means the ISP's server is accessible via ftp. Large files can be uploaded and downloaded to and from that server with a few strokes on the keyboard.