If so, your computer could be infected and have a back door open for hackers to view your keystrokes, credit card numbers and passwords.
At the bottom of this artical is a link to a removal tool.
Brian’s definition of a HACKER, a child that didn’t have anyone to teach them fishing when they were young. Support ARM!
New Worm Could Attack Sunday
Help and Prevention
Anti-Virus software maker Symantec has created an information page and posted a removal tool on its Web site.
Microsoft offers security tips on its site.
Two computer companies are bracing for a major cyber attack and both are now offering rewards to catch the author of the nasty MyDoom computer worm.
The worm — a program similar to a virus — has been sent to millions of computers worldwide and is expected to jam two web sites next week, including powerhouse Microsoft.
Capitol Hill staffers got a briefing Friday on Internet security, as experts race the clock to slow down the computer infection that some call the fastest-moving computer worm ever — infecting up to half a million computers worldwide since Monday.
“About one in every four or five emails now seems related to the worm. It’s moving very quickly,” says Larry Clinton of the Internet Security Alliance. “I’m not sure it’s hit its peak yet.”
MyDoom — also called Novarg shows up as an attachment to an e-mail that looks like an error message. It then uses the infected machine to send itself to email address stored in the computer.
What has experts worried is that the worms leaves itself a back door entry into infected computers so it can come back and copy files — even track keystrokes. Hackers could use that vulnerability to steal credit card and banking data used online.
“This worm is pretty stealthy. The average homeowner is not going to be able to know just by looking at their system if they are infected,” says Brian Dunphy of anti-virus software maker Symantec.
MyDoom blocks access to dozens of anti-virus programs and on Sunday, it’s scheduled to launch the first of two attacks on software companies’ Web sites. According to Symantec, the worm will launch an attack on SCO Group Sunday February 1 and Microsoft on February 3. Both companies are offering rewards.
Virus or Worm?
According to anti-virus software maker Symantec a worm is a self-replicating program, while a virus needs to infect a software or hardware component. Here are rthe companies descriptions:
Virus
A program or code that replicates; that is, infects another program, boot sector, partition sector, or document that supports macros, by inserting itself or attaching itself to that medium. Most viruses only replicate, though, many do a large amount of damage as well.
Worm
A program that makes copies of itself; for example, from one disk drive to another, or by copying itself using email or another transport mechanism. The worm may do damage and compromise the security of the computer. It may arrive in the form of a joke program or software of some sort.
“Hopefully $250,000 helps catch who’s behind it,” says Microsoft’s Lou Gellows.
To prevent the worm, here’s what the experts suggest:
Never open attachments from people you don’t know — or even from those you do unless you’re sure of the content.
Update your anti-virus software often.
Consider installing firewall protection, to help cut off viruses before they take over.
The FBI, Secret Service and Interpol are all trying to hunt down the author of the worm. They’ve tracked the first infected emails to Russia, but don’t know if that’s the location of those behind this — or just the first victims.
The best clue so far: the author signed the program with the name “Andy.”
This week, the department of homeland security opened a new web site aimed at educating people about the worst computer infections. It’s called the national cyber alert system. Through it, you can get email alerts when a new one is discovered. For more information, log on to http://www.us-cert.gov.
The virus attacks copmputers running Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP. It does not infect computers running the pre-1995 versions of Windows. Computers running, Macintosh, DOS, Linux, Macintosh, OS/2, UNIX operating systems — less than ten percent of home computers worldwide — are not at risk from the worm.
