Sophos warns against panic as worm attacks CNN, Financial Times and New York Times.Experts at SophosLabs, Sophos's global network of virus, spyware Software that sends information about your Web surfing habits to its Web site. Often quickly installed in your computer in combination with a free download you selected from the Web, spyware transmits information in the background as you move around the Web. and spam E-mail that is not requested. Also known as "unsolicited commercial e-mail" (UCE), "unsolicited bulk e-mail" (UBE), "gray mail" and just plain "junk mail," the term is both a noun (the e-mail message) and a verb (to send it). analysis centres, have advised computer users to ensure appropriate defences are in place, following reports that a worm exploiting a new Microsoft vulnerability has disrupted dis·rupt tr.v. dis·rupt·ed, dis·rupt·ing, dis·rupts 1. To throw into confusion or disorder: Protesters disrupted the candidate's speech. 2. businesses across Europe and the US, including media outlets CNN CNN or Cable News Network Subsidiary company of Turner Broadcasting Systems. It was created by Ted Turner in 1980 to present 24-hour live news broadcasts, using satellites to transmit reports from news bureaus around the world. , Financial Times, ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. and the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times. The worm is affecting computers which are not properly patched against Microsoft security holes such as the MS05-039 Plug and Play vulnerability. It works by infecting networks and then targeting each computer--causing them to repeatedly shut down and reboot--preventing users from logging on. It is not immediately obvious which worm has caused the infection as a number of viruses exploit the vulnerability--including Tpbot-A and Dogbot-A, as well as the Zotob, Rbot and Tilebot-F worms. Sophos, which has issued protection against all potential suspects of this outbreak, warns that such attacks are not unusual and that organisations with unpatched against vulnerabilities can expect to be regular targets for virus writers, hackers and phishers. It also points out that more worms will attempt to exploit this particular vulnerability. Comment; "The prime distinguisher of this outbreak is that some of the world's most trusted media has been hit, in the case of CNN, millions of viewers were able to witness the damaging affects of the worm live on air." More and more virus writers are exploiting the new MSOS-039 vulnerability that Microsoft issued a patch against last week. www.sophos.com |
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