Microsoft Instant Messenger Falls Sick With Virus Outburst

9 Mar, 2005 at 11:37pm ET Article published in Tech

MSN Messenger is the target of a host of new worms spreading across the Internet.

New versions of the Bropia and Kelvir worms have appeared today and are spreading over MSN Messenger, according to alerts issued by leading anti-virus companies. Plus a new family of worms, dubbed “Sumom” or “Serflog” has also appeared, also spreading over MSN.

The spate of instant messaging worms is evidence that virus writers are finally realising its potential to quickly disseminate malicious code, according to one antivirus expert.

IM worms have been gaining popularity in virus-writing circles for months. The Bropia worm, which spreads using MSN Messenger, burst onto the scene in January. New variants from that family of worms have appeared almost weekly ever since.

Bropia has been joined by a number of new messaging worms in recent weeks. Kelvir, which first appeared on Sunday, has already spawned three new variants, according to data from Symantec. MSN is not the only victim. The Stang and Aimdes viruses spread over the AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) network.

The new worms all target Windows machines and steal IM contacts from machines they infect, so victims often receive IM messages containing the virus from friends or acquaintances. The worms also use so-called “social engineering” tricks, such as vague but familiar-sounding messages and salacious file attachments to get users to open files that install the virus or visit Web pages that install viruses, spyware or Trojan horse programs on the victim’s machine.

Source: TechWorld

Comments

10 Mar 2005 ~ 12:30am RWB I was hit by a minor virus, a buddy sent me a link(which he didn't but was the cvirus on his PC that send the same link to everyone on his list), which I of course clicked on. AVG picked it up immediatly thankfully.

However, I don't use MSN Messenger, I use Trillian. So nothing happened, but it did manage to open MSN Messenger on my system, but couldn't log in and take over or something.
10 Mar 2005 ~ 5:00am Siggy Bugger,

I have an Internet Cafe, with 20 PCs and Messenger is the most popular IM prog. I have AVG on every PC but I am wondering how I can protect my network from Virus or worms sent via MSM

thanks

Siggy
11 Mar 2005 ~ 4:10am Freemymelody I already new!!! damn those plp who make them...
11 Mar 2005 ~ 9:30pm Dexter

Siggy wrote:

Bugger,

I have an Internet Cafe, with 20 PCs and Messenger is the most popular IM prog. I have AVG on every PC but I am wondering how I can protect my network from Virus or worms sent via MSM

thanks

Siggy

Keep your anti-virus updated. I just checked AVG, and they have updates for both of the virus files named above.

Dexter...
11 Mar 2005 ~ 9:56pm entropy Yeah, most decent antivirus programs should be fine now. Except Norton. Don't ever count on Norton.

I had to help a few friends remove several of these... smart little fellers. Type "virus" in any window, at all, and they'll kill it. Never heard of that before.
12 Mar 2005 ~ 2:05am Dexter

entropy wrote:

Yeah, most decent antivirus programs should be fine now. Except Norton. Don't ever count on Norton.

I have to strongly disagree with you there, and so would 68% of Short-Media users who participated in our Anti-Virus poll.

Norton added definitions for Bropia on Feb 2, and for Kelvir on Mar 7.

AVG added Bropia on on Feb 22, and Kelvir on Mar 9th.

Check it yourself. Sources:

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/defs.added.html

http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_history.php

Seems to me that Norton responded a lot quicker, therefore could be counted on a lot better. It's not the world's leading anti-virus software for nothing, you know.

Dexter...
12 Mar 2005 ~ 2:46am profdlp

Siggy wrote:

Bugger,

I have an Internet Cafe, with 20 PCs ...

Sorry to butt in with an post...

But have you considered joining our Folding @ Home team?

You wouldn't be the first Aussie with a massive Folding farm on Team 93. :ausflag:
12 Mar 2005 ~ 8:43am dragonV8

profdlp wrote:

Sorry to butt in with an post...

But have you considered joining our Folding @ Home team?

You wouldn't be the first Aussie with a massive Folding farm on Team 93. :ausflag:

You talking about me and the Handbrake..............Huh??????????? :ausflag: :ausflag: :ausflag: :ausflag:

And Dancer :ausflag: and tcith :ausflag: :smokin:

Aussie FLDERS rule.

Siggy, like the old mitsubishi ad...........Please consider.
13 Mar 2005 ~ 11:07pm Siggy I was thinking seriously about joining the folding team, BUT my main concern is that I have a limit to my account, which I have been getting close to recently (having installed all the steam games).
so I have a few questions!
How much bandwith does it take? (cant upset the customers by lag in their games)
will it add considerably to my usage?

and finally how would I set it up so that all the machines (20) are doing their bit!!

thanks

SIggy
13 Mar 2005 ~ 11:30pm profdlp

Siggy wrote:

I was thinking seriously about joining the folding team...

Head over to the Team Short-Media Forum and start up a thread. The Everything About Folding @ Home page has lots of information as well.

Bandwidth is not really a problem. The computer will download a small file, work on it for a couple of days, then send the results back and repeat the process. 99.9% of the time it will be using no bandwidth at all. One of our top Team 93 movers-and-shakers, muddocktor, has limited Internet access at work. He loads up on Work Units when he's sent to a remote location and sends them back in when he returns. You could set up something similar.

This is a very important research project, but that doesn't mean we don't have a ball doing it. We also have some of the top experts you'd ever hope to find who'll help you, on the odd chance you run into a glitch.
14 Mar 2005 ~ 12:05am entropy Dexter: All I know is that the three people who "gave" it to me had Norton. Fully updated. It didn't catch Fatso. BitDefender, however, did.

Norton has failed me and other computers here many times, as well as at my parents' work. I suggested they get Trend Micro and they've never gotten one since.

After that, I moved to BitDefender. I had tried out ALL the popular software, and BitDefender passed the best, along with Panda Titanium. AVG is utter crap, or at least the free version is. I wouldn't touch AVG with a twenty foot pole. Many people like it, but it is nowhere near as good as others.

Edit:
By Fatso I mean

Crog (also known by several other names, such as Sumom, Serflog, and Fatso - the last name which is likely to become the media name) is an MSN Messenger worm that appeared today and is spreading quickly, earning Medium risk from some antivirus companies.

Came out March 7th. That was, within a day or two, when it was sent to me by FOUR PEOPLE. Threel had Norton. I have Messenger set to Auto recieve, so that the virus is already coming down the line before I realize it. BitDefender caught it the day it came out - Norton and Symantec failed to catch it.
14 Mar 2005 ~ 12:36am Trogan What is the link given in MSN Messenger that is the virus?

I Need to make sure my comp hasn't got the virus. :shakehead

Thanks