Security news18 May 2001
Sri Lankan virus spreads political message
A new virus highlighting the friction between Muslims and Buddhists in Sri Lanka holds little threat to computer users according to Sophos Anti-Virus. However, the Mawanella worm (also known as VBS/VBSWG-Z), named after a Muslim village, is yet another illustration of virus writers using malicious code as a political platform.
The worm arrives as an email with the subject line 'Mawanella'. If launched, it then proceeds to forward itself to everyone in the user's address book. Once activated, a message appears describing the burning down of two mosques and one hundred Muslim-owned shops in Mawanella.
"Ken from Walsall doesn't normally send you emails about Sri Lankan villages. Most people would be suspicious if they received an email like this from a friend or colleague, so we aren't expecting the Mawanella worm to spread extensively," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos Anti-Virus. "Although politically-motivated viruses are on the rise, they are unlikely to spread as far as those that rely on the psychology of sex."
Previous politically-motivated viruses include the Injustice worm (also known as VBS/Staple-A), which disseminated pro-Palestinian messages and spammed a number of Israeli Government email addresses.
Sophos reminds users that if they have updated their anti-virus protection and follow a policy of not opening unsolicited or suspicious attachments, worms and viruses such as Mawanella hold little threat.
