FBI warns of new Storm worm variant
Summary
The email uses the phrase 'FBI vs. Facebook' in its subject line and contains a link to view an article about the FBI and Facebook.
Topics
On Wednesday, the FBI and its partner, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), warned against a new email campaign being used by the creators of the Storm worm botnet.
The email uses the phrase 'FBI vs. Facebook' in its subject line and contains a link to view an article about the FBI and Facebook, the popular social-networking website. Clicking on the link downloads malicious software onto the victim's computer.
"The spammers spreading this virus are preying on internet users and making their computers an unwitting part of criminal botnet activity," said the FBI in a press release. "We urge citizens to help prevent the spread of botnets by becoming web-savvy."
The FBI is warning users not to respond to spam email and not to open attachments or links provided within such email, and advising them to validate the legitimacy of the email by typing the organization’s website address directly into a browser window, rather than clicking on a provided link.
Talkback Most Recent of 14 Talkback(s)
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MIKEC0X31st Jul 2008 -
RE: FBI warns of new Storm worm variant
This is a perfect example of a target attack on a very large scale. It seems this is now the new direction for phishing attacks and links to malware. Even the tecgh-savvy would have been caught unawares by this scam: Identifying a Targeted Attack(http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=670&doc_id=156701&F_src=flftwo)
jamalystic31st Jul 2008 -
Mike Cox gets deleted!!!
Wow, no kidding????
Kromaethius31st Jul 2008 -
Not the "real" Mike Cox.
If you notice, the Nome de plume is MIKECOX...whereas the "real" one signs "Mike Cox".
The ?real? Mike Cox would never write anything that would bring shame or embarrassment upon his Microsoft Reps. He simply has far too much respect for the yeoman like work they perform for the good of the world.
A clever ruse to be sure, however.
IT_Guy_z31st Jul 2008 -
Odd, I find it interesting the first time
I've seen the FBI issue a virus warning and their in the subject line..... Hmmmm.... could it be their trying to deter people from reading it? J/K!
devlin_X31st Jul 2008 -
anti spam technique for blocking FBI spam variant
Only a few anti spam techniques techniques have succeeded in the battle with spammers and one of them is Abaca?s ReceiverNet service. ReceiverNet characterizes each protected user based on the percentage of spam they receive and then uses those reputations to rate the incoming message flow. ReceiverNet is effective in protecting against existing and future spam techniques. For more information log on to http://abaca.com/.
wicke31st Jul 2008 -
Storm is a Windows thing -
ZDnet's 'tech articles' are hardly neutral are they? This article is built around a key assertion :
"Clicking on the link downloads malicious software onto the victim's computer"
This is a deliberate, carefully crafted lie. It's purpose appears to be to make ALL computer users think they are at risk when, in fact, it only MICROFT WINDOWS users who are in danger. Apple users are not in danger. Linux users are not in danger. Unix users are not in danger. MICROSFT WINDOWS users are at risk, as per usual, all on their own.
Why is ZDnet so obviously biased towards Microsoft?
PS : From Wiki (and conformed by any other source you care to name)
The Storm Worm (dubbed so by the Finnish company F-Secure) is a backdoor[1][2] Trojan horse that affects computers using Microsoft operating systems,[3][4][5] discovered on January 17, 2007.[3]
whisperycat1st Aug 2008 -
Why? You really had to ask?
Because IE makes up 75% of Internet browsers and Windows makes up 91% of Internet browsing operating systems.
Perhaps ZDNET should put disclaimers in all of their reports for geeks who revel in their genius for running *nix.
My XP with IE7 gives me the same productivity as your Ubuntu with FireFox.
I am virus free NOT because of my operating system but because I am mindful of what I do.
Browser Market share:
http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=2
OS Market share:
http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=8
gtdriver941st Aug 2008 -
Windows only malware
"Perhaps ZDNET should put disclaimers in all of their reports for geeks who revel in their genius for running *nix".
Ooooh, testy. The fact is, ZDnet ommited a huge and very relevant piece of technical information from this "tech" article. And that was, that this major problem, which the FBI are warning all US 'citizens' about, is caused by a WINDOWS SPECIFIC problem.
"E makes up 75% of Internet browsers and Windows makes up 91% of Internet browsing operating systems".
EXACTLY. Shoddy Microsoft Windows is the MAIN vector for all security exploits. Pretending (as ZDnet do in this article() that ALL Operating Systems are equally vulnerable is de,liberate misdirection and the only benefactors of this misdirection are Microsoft, who don't like the truth about Windows specific security threats causing the FBI to issue warnings, to be pasted across "tech" articles.
Tell me, if this had been an OS X specific problem, would you have been happy for a ZDnet tech article to advise ALL COMPUTER USERS that they were vulnerable to it? Of course not. You would have bust a valve in your haste to make sure people knew it didn't affect Windows.whisperycat1st Aug 2008 -
a self-selected group
Most readers of this kind of forum will have fewer problems with viruses and so forth. Why? Because most of us already follow best practices on the Web. Not so for the average computer user. My wife doesn't want to know anything about computers; she just wants to go online. So the other day, she clicked on a link and up came one of those "your [Windows] computer is infected" pop-ups. She thought it was real. But we use Ubuntu, and it was fake.
ZDNet is right to warn Windows users. But they should point out that the threat only applies to Windows.
barence7731st Aug 2008 -
Railroading Rank-and-File Users
Most users today have used an Apple or Unix-based system at least briefly. If that was a first or early computer experience, they often hold a very positive opinion of it. However schools, businesses and particularly government have made a massive investment in Microsoft products. This is a surreal parallel to the way a driver in fog invests in the driver in front of him (or lemmings make a massive investments in the judgment of the preceding lemming--hence my woefully uncritical students will often hear of my stupidity decremental operator "lemming--" (indicating the previous follower in the crowd) as well as the increment operator, "lemming++" (the next one).
When ZD and numerous other web and print based publications advance the concept that everyone uses MS products, they tacitly endorse those products. Such endorsements are absorbed subtly within the MBA-side IT community (as opposed to the engineering, programming and hacking (AKA "tech") side that have always held the keys to geekdom but have never been able to leverage their knoweldge, skills and abilities (perhaps largely as a result of having never been a sports hero or otherwise lacking much sales experience). Thus independents and small bands of techies routinely attempt to subvert the dominant paradigm. Sadly they too often must learn firsthand about having your output port hijacked for someone else's cruel pleasure...in prison!
So boys and girls, congratulations on that tech degree, now go earn an MBA, take a job as a CIO and change the world--instead of earning a Ph.D. and becoming widely unknown for improving packet handling (or some other "fantastic achievement").
Don't be a Lemming++ !
svregrcpt@...1st Aug 2008 -
RE: FBI warns of new Storm worm variant
the government is so ****** up now that it makes you want to join the worm. IMPEACH NOW!!!!
b_pratt@...4th Aug 2008 -
RE: FBI warns of new Storm worm variant
I don't know why FBI is so worried of impending disasters instead of showing capabilities to fight them or stop them. It is like fearing Iran's nuclear power instead of developing competency to fight back when necessary.
lkafle6th Aug 2008 -
Because the best way to fight this isn't with the FBI
It's with each and every one of us - choosing never to use
a Microsoft operating system again until it becomes fit for
purpose - which I anticipate somewhere between three and
thirty quarters after Hell freezes over. As someone said
about patents and the irretrievably fubared patent system,
too many companies have too much tied up in the status
quo to let justice prevail in our lifetimes.
And to be fair and utterly clear: it's not just a Microsoft
problem, it's a monoculture problem. I love both the Mac
and Linux, but if either of them had as much money and as
many eyeballs tied up as Windows does, it would be worth
someone's time and money to find an exploitable hole. The
fact that both of those systems are designed to make it as
difficult as commercially possible to exploit effectively, in
my opinion, is a minimal requirement for "fitness for
purpose" in this context. The fact that Microsoft (and
commercial software generally) get a free pass on 'fitness
for purpose' should be illegal in any country, and an
impeachable or dismissible offense for the government
officials (trade and consumer-protection) who allowed it to
happen on their watch.
Jeff Dickey13th Sep 2008
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