Security news29 January 2002
Sophos says: Myparty worm gatecrashes computers
Sophos, a world leader in corporate
The worm, which may appear to have come from a colleague or friend, arrives as an email with the subject line 'new photos from my party!'. The message reads: 'Hello! My party...It was absolutely amazing! I have attached my web page with new photos! If you can please make color prints of my photos. Thanks!'.
The email contains an attachment called "www.myparty.yahoo.com". You may think this is a link to a website, but it is actually a program file. Clicking on the attachment launches the program, which sends a copy of itself to every contact in the Windows Address book. It also tries to release a backdoor program onto your PC to allow others to access your computer remotely.
"Computer users are definitely getting wiser," said Paul Ducklin, Head of Global Support at Sophos
Protection against this worm (W32/MyParty-A) and the backdoor it releases (Troj/Msstake-A) is available from the Sophos
For further information about Safe Hex please read Sophos's safe computing guidelines.
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About Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises all over the world to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Sophos's network access control, endpoint, web and email solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, Sophos protects over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with its reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognized for its high level of customer satisfaction and powerful yet easy-to-use solutions, Sophos has received many industry awards, as well as positive reviews and certifications.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com
