Virus Spreads Among Yahoo Mail Users

profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
edited June 2006 in Science & Tech
If you use Yahoo Mail you may want to make sure that your AntiVirus program is up to date.
LAS VEGAS — Yahoo Inc., the world's largest provider of e-mail services, said on Monday that a software virus aimed at Yahoo Mail users had infected "a very small fraction" of its base of more than 200 million accounts.

The e-mail virus, or worm, has been dubbed Yamanner and landed in Yahoo mailboxes bearing the headline "New Graphic Site."

Once opened, the message infects the computer and spreads to other users listed in Yahoo users' e-mail address books, security experts said.

The e-mail containing the virus need only be opened — in contrast to most worms that are hidden in attachments and require users to take an additional step — to release the virus, according to computer security site Symantec Corp.

The Sunnyvale, California-based company advised users to update virus and firewall software on their computers and to block any e-mail sent from the address "av3@yahoo.com."
Source: Fox News

Comments

  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    ... and which client automatically executes this? Thunderbird? Outlook? Outlook express? All of the above? Only via the web interface of Yahoo email? In that case which browsers? Which OS? I love it, "Security Experts" stating the obvious again but not actually telling anyone anything specific.

    Another waste of time from Fox News, heh.

    FYI I've had about 200 of these come in through Yahoo Groups that I'm part of. No infection here viewing them with Thunderbird on Windows.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited June 2006
    Enverex wrote:
    ...Another waste of time from Fox News, heh...
    Via Reuters, heh. :ukflag:
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    Never quite understood what Reuters were. I thought it was the generic word for "some other media agency" i.e. 'we just robbed their news article' never assumed it was actually a company, lol.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    Another waste of time from Fox News, heh.
    or Reuters, or CNN, or AP. Most media outlets that concentrate on general news are usually very week when it comes to technology and science. I get the impression that most journalists only studied the easy, fluffy stuff in college.
  • airbornflghtairbornflght Houston, TX Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    Leonardo wrote:
    I get the impression that most journalists only studied the easy, fluffy stuff in college.

    If at all.:buck:
  • RWBRWB Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=JS%5FYAMANNER%2EA&VSect=T

    Check out the statistics :P
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    Heh, I think Trend need to update their engine to actually catch it, rofl.
  • EMTEMT Seattle, WA Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    It seems like the real info as to what gets affected (browsers etc.) is pretty scarce, but it sure sounds like it's merely an inside-Yahoo bug, meaning your browser participates but the malicious code (which is just JavaScript, after all) is not really touching your computer. Nobody's "infected" but the Yahoo servers, and most likely antivirus companies won't be able to do anything via end users.
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