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| Stefanie Sun Yanzi has many fans in Asia. |
"I am not sad", claims virus writer
Experts at Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses
against viruses and spam, have alerted computer users about a new
worm which begs an Asian pop idol to contact the virus writer.
The W32/Favsin-A worm is the
second piece of malware in less than a week to exploit the
popularity of Singapore-born singer Stefanie Sun Yanzi.
Stefanie Sun Yanzi is a major music star in Asia, and has
recently released a new album following a year long break. Last
week saw the emergence of the W32/Yanz-A virus, which saw
the virus writer promoting his favourite pop star, but in his
latest worm he has turned more to the dark side of fanaticism, with
messages calling for Sun Yanzi to contact him in Turkey.
Emails containing the virus include lines such as:
-
I want to meet Sun YanZi. I am loving Sun-YanZi's Magic.
Call me YanZi. But you don't contact me(Turkiye).
-
I want to see Sun YanZi. Call me Sun Yan Zi
;)
-
I can not contact you. Because, I am far to
you(Turkiye)
-
Please listen to me Stefanie Sun Yanzi.
Attached files, which contain the worm, have names such as:
-
Sun_YanZi-I_am_not_sad.mp3.exe
-
Sun_YanZi-Leave_me_alone.mp3.exe
-
YanZi_SuN-forever.mp3.exe
In an attempt to be humorous the worm can display a message to
users of Microsoft's operating system:
No Windows. Yes doors and holes.
"Whoever wrote this virus needs to get out a bit more and
include some sunshine in his diet," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "If this virus writer spent more
time with real life pursuits and less time in his bedroom drooling
over his favourite popstars then maybe we wouldn't have seen this
virus."
"It would be good to think that this will be the last of the
viruses dedicated to Stefanie Sun Yanzi, but it remains to be seen
if this virus writer's fanatical appetite for the Singapore
songstress has yet been satisfied," continued Cluley. "All computer
users should be suspicious of unsolicited email attachments and
ensure their anti-virus protection is up-to-date."
Although only a small number of instances of the worm have been
sighted so far, Sophos recommends companies protect their computers
with a consolidated solution to thwart the
virus and spam threats as well as secure their desktop and servers
with automatically updated anti-virus protection.
Viruses and the cult of celebrity
Stefanie Sun Yanzi is the latest in a long line of celebrities
to be used as bait by malware authors and hackers. The promise of
glimpses of pin-ups like Halle Berry, Anna Kournikova, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears or the stars
of 'Sex and the
City' have previously been used to help viruses spread.
However, virus inspiration has come from several other less
glamorous fields. Politicians such as Margaret Thatcher, Ronald
Reagan, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Bill
Clinton, George W Bush and PW Botha join cartoon characters
including Pikachu
and Kyle from
South Park.
Even Bill
Gates, David
Beckham, Michael
Jackson and Osama
Bin Laden have been used as the psychological trick to dupe
users into opening infected files.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.