Marc Flemming
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Registered: Jan 2003
Local time: 03:24 AM
Location: Santa Cruz
Posts: 3663
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Computer users are being warned about a new virus which has spread at "an alarming rate".
Internet security firm MessageLabs says it has detected more than 70,000 copies of the W32/Bagle-mm virus in the past 24 hours.
The computer virus, or worm, is contained in infected emails as an attachment.
The aim of the worm is to spread further by looking for new email addresses in the infected computer, such as in the user's list of contacts.
Experts at MessageLabs say it appears the worm is also programmed to send details about all infected computers to website addresses in Germany, though the sites do not yet appear to be up and running.
Paul Wood, chief information security analyst at the firm, said: "We have seen over 73,000 copies of Bagle, and this number is rising at an alarming rate."
Infected emails include a file attachment ending .exe and the word "hi" in the subject line. The message contains the word "test" followed by the symbol =).
Analysis shows the worm has a cut-off date of January 28, a ploy used by hackers in the past to avoid detection. The advice to users is to ensure they update their anti-virus software on a regular basis.
Source: Ananova
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01-20-2004 03:14 AM
