Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, are warning
computer users that hackers have released more worms onto the
internet that exploit the recently discovered security
vulnerability in Microsoft's software.
The W32/Zotob-C
and W32/Tilebot-F worms are
following in the wake of the W32/Zotob-A and W32/Zotob-B worms that
were let loose on the
internet over the weekend. All of these worms take advantage of the
MS05-039 Plug and Play vulnerability announced
by Microsoft last week, and there is a danger that many computer
users may not have had the time to patch against the serious
security hole.
The new version of Zotob goes one step further than its
predecessors, by trying to spread via email rather than just
networked computers. When it spreads via email the Zotob-C worm can
use a number of disguises, including pretending to be a webcam
photograph.
The Tilebot-F spyware worm can steal user account information
from infected computers, and launch distributed denial-of-service
attacks against websites.
"Because Zotob-C can also spread via email it has the potential
to affect more people than the previous incarnations of this worm.
The good news is that at the moment it does not appear to be
spreading widely," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "The Tilebot-F worm has been seen
spreading in-the-wild, however, and so customers must check that
they have the right defenses in place or they risk having critical
information stolen. This is an important wake-up call for all
computer users to ensure they have proper firewalls, the latest
security patches, and automatically updated anti-virus software in
place."
"Microsoft must be fuming that virus writers are exploiting
security holes in their software so quickly after their
announcement," continued Cluley. "It's not only embarrassing for
the software giant, but a real headache for businesses who need to
move quickly to roll out security patches across their
networks."
Home users of Microsoft Windows can visit windowsupdate.microsoft.com to have their systems
scanned for critical Microsoft security vulnerabilities.
Sophos recommends that IT staff responsible for security should
consider subscribing to vulnerability mailing lists such as that
operated by Microsoft at www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/notify.mspx
. Sophos advised
customers to patch against the latest security vulnerabilities
in Microsoft's software last week.
Sophos continues to recommend that companies protect all tiers
of their organization - their desktops, servers and email gateways
- with automatically updated anti-virus
software to reduce the risk of infection.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.