Post by Xaimara on Aug 24, 2003 13:30:10 GMT -4
(from Techtv.com)
Security experts afraid of fallout from what could be fastest-spreading worm ever.
By Steve Enders, Tech Live Web producer
Blaster was so last week.
Sure, it was definitely a nuisance for most and a big problem for some, but it's an old foe that's causing the biggest headaches now for computer users.
True to its name, the worm making big headlines now is Sobig. Tonight on "Tech Live," see why the worm is such a pain, and find out what you need to do to help stop viruses from spreading online.
A new variant of the old Sobig virus was unleashed on the Internet early this week, and the SoBig.F strain -- the sixth iteration of the worm -- has been filling email boxes all over the world.
9/11 connection?
But now, one security company warns, the worm could be more than just a hassle to get rid of. It could launch a cyber attack on or around September 11.
"The virus author(s) of Sobig have developed a predictable pattern of releasing new variants soon after the current version de-activates itself," said Steven Sundermeier, VP of products and services at Central Command, in a statement. "If the past repeats itself we could be looking at a newly constructed creation shortly after September 10."
Sundermeier continues, saying that a hacker could create a "massive army -- used to launch an all-out attack on large Internet infrastructures." That could come in the form of a distributed denial-of-service attack, he warns.
The news comes on the heels of nationwide trouble caused by Sobig and other recent viruses, including the Blaster worm, which was released last week, and other new viruses including Nachi and Welchia.
Sobig, so fast
A 911 center in Texas was knocked offline because of Blaster, and Air Canada's reservation systems experienced glitches after becoming infected with the Nachi worm.
"In the last week, week and a half, we've seen three pretty significant outbreaks," said Bryson Gordon, a product manager with McAfee.com. "...First the LovSan, then seeing the Nachi virus worm, and now the latest variant of Sobig, so things have been very hectic around here."
Hectic indeed, especially with Sobig. On Wednesday, email security firm MessageLabs called Sobig the "fastest growing virus ever." The company stopped more than 1 million copies of the virus in the first 24 hours of its release.
Worm helping spammers?
Additionally, other experts warn, Sobig could be used to launch thousands of spam emails. While there's no evidence that spammers and virus writers are in cahoots, some think that spammers could take advantage of the openings provided by the Sobig worm, which also acts as a Trojan, placing software on infected PCs without users knowing it.
Sobig comes as an email attachment, in a variety of different forms. The emails carrying Sobig look harmless, and come with subject lines such as "Thank you" and "Details."
"It's actually harvesting the email addresses from your PC and sending them to some central location," said McAfee's Gordon. "Now, in doing that, it is creating a massive database of legitimate email addresses for the virus writer to either send out a new variant or use that for other purposes."
That's what has the folks at Central Command worried.
According to the company, the virus has infected millions of PCs worldwide and may download additional software. At a certain time, says Central Command, Sobig will seek additional information that may include an executable backdoor hacker program. The backdoor could then let malicious hackers launch an attack from infected computers.
Huh? Just update, already
For now, the warnings of hacker attacks, denial-of-service attacks, and spam assaults are pure speculation, but something PC users should always keep in mind given the history of such problems.
A few things security companies can all agree on. Get rid of Sobig, and download security patches offered by Microsoft from the Windows Update website.
"If you look at recent statistics," said Gordon, "Sixty-two percent of home users still do not have up-to-date antivirus software."
And that may be the biggest problem of all.
Go here for more info.
www.techtv.com/news/securityalert/story/0,24195,3505777,00.html
Security experts afraid of fallout from what could be fastest-spreading worm ever.
By Steve Enders, Tech Live Web producer
Blaster was so last week.
Sure, it was definitely a nuisance for most and a big problem for some, but it's an old foe that's causing the biggest headaches now for computer users.
True to its name, the worm making big headlines now is Sobig. Tonight on "Tech Live," see why the worm is such a pain, and find out what you need to do to help stop viruses from spreading online.
A new variant of the old Sobig virus was unleashed on the Internet early this week, and the SoBig.F strain -- the sixth iteration of the worm -- has been filling email boxes all over the world.
9/11 connection?
But now, one security company warns, the worm could be more than just a hassle to get rid of. It could launch a cyber attack on or around September 11.
"The virus author(s) of Sobig have developed a predictable pattern of releasing new variants soon after the current version de-activates itself," said Steven Sundermeier, VP of products and services at Central Command, in a statement. "If the past repeats itself we could be looking at a newly constructed creation shortly after September 10."
Sundermeier continues, saying that a hacker could create a "massive army -- used to launch an all-out attack on large Internet infrastructures." That could come in the form of a distributed denial-of-service attack, he warns.
The news comes on the heels of nationwide trouble caused by Sobig and other recent viruses, including the Blaster worm, which was released last week, and other new viruses including Nachi and Welchia.
Sobig, so fast
A 911 center in Texas was knocked offline because of Blaster, and Air Canada's reservation systems experienced glitches after becoming infected with the Nachi worm.
"In the last week, week and a half, we've seen three pretty significant outbreaks," said Bryson Gordon, a product manager with McAfee.com. "...First the LovSan, then seeing the Nachi virus worm, and now the latest variant of Sobig, so things have been very hectic around here."
Hectic indeed, especially with Sobig. On Wednesday, email security firm MessageLabs called Sobig the "fastest growing virus ever." The company stopped more than 1 million copies of the virus in the first 24 hours of its release.
Worm helping spammers?
Additionally, other experts warn, Sobig could be used to launch thousands of spam emails. While there's no evidence that spammers and virus writers are in cahoots, some think that spammers could take advantage of the openings provided by the Sobig worm, which also acts as a Trojan, placing software on infected PCs without users knowing it.
Sobig comes as an email attachment, in a variety of different forms. The emails carrying Sobig look harmless, and come with subject lines such as "Thank you" and "Details."
"It's actually harvesting the email addresses from your PC and sending them to some central location," said McAfee's Gordon. "Now, in doing that, it is creating a massive database of legitimate email addresses for the virus writer to either send out a new variant or use that for other purposes."
That's what has the folks at Central Command worried.
According to the company, the virus has infected millions of PCs worldwide and may download additional software. At a certain time, says Central Command, Sobig will seek additional information that may include an executable backdoor hacker program. The backdoor could then let malicious hackers launch an attack from infected computers.
Huh? Just update, already
For now, the warnings of hacker attacks, denial-of-service attacks, and spam assaults are pure speculation, but something PC users should always keep in mind given the history of such problems.
A few things security companies can all agree on. Get rid of Sobig, and download security patches offered by Microsoft from the Windows Update website.
"If you look at recent statistics," said Gordon, "Sixty-two percent of home users still do not have up-to-date antivirus software."
And that may be the biggest problem of all.
Go here for more info.
www.techtv.com/news/securityalert/story/0,24195,3505777,00.html
