Many unhappy returns for virulent worm
Many unhappy returns for virulent worm
Today marks the first anniversary of the debut of the SoBig.A worm, but no-one will be celebrating this particular occasion as the risk from the type of threat it unleashed continues to escalate a year on.
This particular virus, which was the first in the SoBig series of viruses to hit throughout last year, was unique in being the first virus to use convergence techniques to cause maximum damage.
SoBig.A incorporates both spamming and virus writing techniques that intensify the damage caused. As well as infecting hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide, the initial virus also installed open proxies on compromised machines, which were then used to disseminate spam unknown to the users.
To date, email security services provider MessageLabs has intercepted 727,102 copies of the worm in 183 countries, and it continues to spread.
SoBig’s successful use of convergence led to the manipulation of the virus by its author to create subsequent versions, culminating in SoBig.F, the most prolific virus to date. The SoBig family has also served as the model for other viruses using convergence techniques, such as the Fizzer worm. MessageLabs predicts that this style of virus writing will be extensive during 2004.
“SoBig.A and its successors represent one of the most significant shifts in virus writing techniques to date,” said David Banes, MessageLabs’ Technical Director Asia Pacific.
"While the line between virus writers and spammers was once drawn clearly, this new generation of viruses is fast eroding that distinction. MessageLabs' research indicates that 2004 will see an increasing number of overlaps between the methods used by the two communities. The success of SoBig has served as an inspiration to cyber criminals, and demonstrates what can be achieved when they work together."
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