Sophos, a world leader in corporate anti-virus protection, is
urging computer users to be extra vigilant against virus threats as
excitement surrounding the World Cup competition reaches fever
pitch.
Seemingly harmless World Cup screensavers, spreadsheets and
electronic wall charts could provide the ideal vehicles for virus
and worm propagation. Sophos is therefore advising employees and
home PC users not to open unsolicited emails, download material
from the internet or use anything on their computer which is not
known to be virus-free.
"Millions of people worldwide will be following the World Cup
and will be using the internet and email to keep up to date with
all the action," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant,
Sophos Anti-Virus. "We have already seen viruses utilising the
popularity of celebrities like Anna Kournikova and Britney Spears; David
Beckham or Michael Owen could be next. Amidst the enthusiasm for
the competition, it's important that users maintain a solid
defence."
The World Cup has provided the inspiration for viruses in the
past, and the possibility of it happening again should not be ruled
out. In 1998, in the run-up to the World cup competition in France,
the WM97/ZMK-J
virus asked infected victims to gamble on who the winner might be,
and if the user did not choose the right team triggered a warhead
which was capable of wiping all the data off the hard drive.
The message to computer users is to remain as vigilant as
England's defence in the 1966 World Cup final in order to prevent
virus writers scoring virtual goals. As ever, those companies
following safe computing
guidelines can significantly reduce their chances of being hit
by a new virus.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.