Virus Latest

Netsky.p, the 16th variant of the Internet worm, takes advantage of a vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 or 5.5 without Service Pack 2. The variant is the first of the Netsky family capable of executing without the PC user clicking on an attachment, antivirus experts say.

Network Associates Inc. and Symantec Corp. have rated Netsky.p a medium risk. A worm is a type of virus that opens a backdoor in a PC, making it possible for a hacker to take control of the machine to distribute spam, launch a denial of service attack, or steal passwords to Internet accounts.

Netsky.p is troublesome because the virus can be executed without a PC user double clicking on the attachment. For this to happen, however, the user must have the Microsoft Outlook e-mail client set to display e-mail written in HTML.

Code embedded in the document automatically executes the Zip file containing Netsky.p, which propagates itself by stealing e-mail addresses from the infected machine.

Virus experts, however, do not expect Netsky.p to become a major threat, primarily because it takes advantage of a vulnerability that Microsoft patched in 2001 Many PC users have either installed the patch, or have upgraded to Internet Explorer 6.0.

Netsky.p arrives in e-mails with these subject lines: stolen document, re: hello, mail delivery, private document, re: notify, re: document, re: extended mail system, re: protected mail system, re: question, private document, and postcard. Content might include:

"If the message will not displayed automatically, follow the link to read the delivered message". Received message is available at: (a masked URL is used). Or; "+++ Attachment: No Virus found
+++ Panda AntiVirus (or other AV vendor, plus URL)"

Other threats:

W32.Novarg.A@mm worm/virus/MyDoom
MSBlaster Worm
SWEN Virus/Worm - Microsoft Hoax