Security news23 November 2004
Virus author stalks Asian pop idol with malicious email, reports Sophos
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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:
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I want to meet Sun YanZi. I am loving Sun-YanZi's Magic. Call me YanZi. But you don't contact me(Turkiye).
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I want to see Sun YanZi. Call me Sun Yan Zi ;)
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I can not contact you. Because, I am far to you(Turkiye)
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Please listen to me Stefanie Sun Yanzi.
Attached files, which contain the worm, have names such as:
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Sun_YanZi-I_am_not_sad.mp3.exe
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Sun_YanZi-Leave_me_alone.mp3.exe
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YanZi_SuN-forever.mp3.exe
In an attempt to be humorous the worm can display a message to users of Microsoft's operating system:
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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.
