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Virus Watch: The Klez Worm | |
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Posted 22 May 2002 The Klez worm isn’t a new worm, nor is it paticularly
original. But it’s proving to be one
of the most effective yet. The latest wave of Klez worms appeared in early April and
we didn’t think much of it. But over the last few weeks infections have
steadily built up into an epidemic. We've been receiving at least twenty calls
a week about it for the last month. Klez is so effective because it uses all the common
tricks available to virus writers. It's "features" include
infected attachments, legitimate sounding subject lines and Windows
scripting, which means that many people get infected without even opening
the thing. A paticularly interesting trick is that it inserts a false
from address. We’ve seen a number of people reduced to tears because
they’ve been falsely
accused of sending the virus. If you do receive
the Klez worm, you can be almost certain it didn’t come from the person
shown in the from field. The protection against Klez is the same for all viruses.
Get an anti-virus program and keep it up to date. If you use Outlook and Outlook
Express, disable the preview panes and tighten up your e-mail security. Be suspicious
of any mail, even from people you know. Finally, keep your system up-to-date
with Windows
security updates. Remember that we are all at risk from viruses, security holes and data loss.
While Microsoft products are the biggest risk, no-one is immune. Don’t
assume you can’t get a virus because your web browser is Netscape or Opera,
your operating system is Linux, or your computer’s a Mac. You can be affected
and you should make sure you are protected.The little worm that could: How the Klez worm is taking over our computers.
PC Rescue Pty Ltd
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ŠTechnology Publishing Australia, 2011