Worm spreads conspiracy theories about the death of John Paul II.

Experts at SophosLabs are warning users to beware a new email virus which poses as breaking news stories about the supposed arrest of the author of the MyDoom worm, the capture of Osama bin Laden, or sick conspiracy theories about the death of the late Pope John Paul II. The Kedebe-F worm (W32/Kedebe-F) spreads itself via email using a wide variety of different subject lines and message bodies. Users who fall for its various tricks, and launch the attached file, risk disabling their security software and passing the infection onto other computer users.

The worm can send a variety of messages, including the following: 'someone sent me this document which is stolen from a secret government body and deals about John Paul's death. It says he was killed by two 'doctors' who were hired by some government bodies. The text attached contains all the story behind his death and who these doctors are.' On other occasions, the text of the message can claim that Michael Jackson has died, Osama bin Laden has been captured by US soldiers, or the author of the MyDoom worm has been arrested by Microsoft. Clicking on the attached file launches the worm, which disables security software installed on the computer and spreads the virus onto other internet users via email and peer-to-peer file-sharing networks.

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