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| News archive about antivirus software, virus threats, trojans |
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January 2005
If your computer insults you, it has been infected by the new Cisum.A worm -- Posted by Igor_Donchenko on Monday, January 31 2005
PandaLabs has detected the appearance of Cisum.A, a worm whose most distinguishing characteristic is that it insults the user by displaying the following message on screen "YOU ARE AN IDIOT," while playing an MP3 audio file that repeats the same phrase.
Cisum.A can only spread automatically across computer networks. If a network user runs the file carrying Cisum.A, this worm copies itself under the name ProjectX.exe to the root directory of the shared drives on the computer.
At the same time, it displays a window containing the text: "YOU ARE AN IDIOT," and constantly plays the aforementioned MP3 audio file the worm has previously generated on the system.
Cisum.A also ends the processes belonging to antivirus programs and other IT security applications, leaving the computer vulnerable to attack from other viruses or hackers. What's more, it creates several entries in the Windows Registry in order to ensure that it is run whenever the computer starts up.
Even though no incidents caused by this worm have been registered, Panda Software advises users to take precautions with any file they receive or download from the Internet and to update their antivirus software. Panda Software has made the corresponding updates available to its clients to detect and disinfect Cisum.A.
Source: http://www.pandasoftware.com
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Phishers continue to cast their nets -- Posted by Igor_Donchenko on Monday, January 31 2005
The Anti-Phishing Working Group, an industry focussed organisation which aims to eliminate fraud and identity theft associated with phishing attacks and email spoofing, has released its latest report on phishing trends.
December's report covers the period from July 2004 onwards. It shows that the number of attacks has continued to rise, with 1701 active phishing sites being reported in December, a jump of 105 on November's figures. 9,019 new, unique phishing emails were detected, which represented an average monthly growth rate of 38% since July.
The number of hijacked brands reported was fixed in December at 55, showing only a small increase on November's 52. The industry sectors most hijacked also maintained the trends established in previous months, with financial institutions remaining the most frequently targeted organisations.
The report also includes data on the top countries hosting phishing sites, and an example of a web based phishing attack, where the phishing site itself, and not the email, contains malicious code. As the organisation notes, although email is still the commonest attack vector, phishers are starting to exploit browser vulnerabilities in order to place malicious code on victim machines.
Source: http://www.viruslist.com
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