VIRUS Info on that e-card link

February 13, 2008

nes.html

Cards

The Storm Worm virus, according to IBM, has been a big success for its makers,

creating a botnet that turns a big profit by spamming users worldwide. Despite

the fact that the Storm Worm is a year old, computers are still being infected,

and the FBI has gone so far as to warn Valentine's Day lovers of the possibility

of virus-laden e-cards.

In a press release, the FBI said:

With the holiday approaching, be on the lookout for spam e-mails spreading the

Storm Worm malicious software (malware). The e-mail directs the recipient to

click on a link to retrieve the electronic greeting card (e-card). Once the user

clicks on the link, malware is downloaded to the Internet-connected device and

causes it to become infected and part of the Storm Worm botnet. Botnets are

typically set up to facilitate criminal activity such as spam e-mail, identity

theft, denial of service attacks, and spreading malware to other machines on the

Internet.

The Storm Worm virus has capitalized on various holidays in the last year by

sending millions of e-mails advertising an e-card link within the text of the

spam e-mail. Valentine's Day has been identified as the next target.

Be wary of any e-mail received from an unknown sender. Do not open any

unsolicited e-mail and do not click on any links provided.

So this means that e-card from that person you've been lusting after from afar,

the one that doesn't know you exist, is probably not a good thing to open.

Nothing new there in terms of the warnings; these are the typical precautions

you should take all the time.

But besides these suggestions, also:

a.. Get an antivirus program (yes, some people still don't have one). If you

can't afford one there are free ones that are quite good, like AVG and AntiVir.

b.. Make sure it's up to date.

Safe, virus-free and Happy Valentine's Day to all.

by Technology Expert at 5:20 PM

Labels: FBI, Storm Worm, Trojan, Virus

Recommended Posts