W32.Sobig.F@mm (new virus is on the loose)

**hippo girl** · August 22nd, 2003, 12:20 PM

i posted this on the fanclub but i know not all of you belong there so i will post it here too. I was reading in the paper this morning about a new virus goin round called the W32.Sobig.F@mm (the @mm at the end means mass mailer) and it is apparantly a serious virus (i cant see that though but who am i to say what it is) but anyway i typed up the article from the newspaper and i copied to here so here ya go:

One in 17 emails now contain the worlds worst ever computer virus, which is crippling millions of systems, experts have warned. The Sobig.f virus has increased the flow of email by 60 per cent and it bringing business systems to their knees. Believed to have orginated in America on Monday, it has already hit at least 148 countries.
It spreads when users open attachments sent in emails usually with the headings such as "thank you", "Re: details" or "Re: approved". The attachments end with the letters 'pif'. When the recipient opens the attachment by clicking on it, the virus searches the computer for other email addresses and bombards them with an identical email. It also leaves affected machines vulnerable to hackers who can access personal details such as credit card and bank details.
It is the third major virus in the past week after the MSblaster worm and the Nachi virus which caused computers using Microsoft Windows to crash. But there could be worse to come, experts have warned.
Paul Wood, chief information analyst at an internet security firm Message-Labs said: "One in 17 emails sent around the world since Monday have been affected by Sobig.f. "It's unprecedented in our history. We have stopped over 1 million infections in the first day. "It's a pretty frightening statistic and the next incarnation could be even worse."
Virus writing is fast becoming the new graffiti among teenage and twenty-somethings desperate to make their mark on a global scale. Known as "script-kiddies", the cyber nerds are named after the lines of text that make up viruses. Recipients are duped into opening attachements, often with the lure of jokes or sexy images.
Jack Clark, who detects infectious programs for anti-virus software company McAfee, said:" This is incredibly serious. It is a global threat and everyone is suffering from it. "That doesnt mean to say every machine is affected but it has spread fast. "This latest outbreak shows people still havent learnt any lessons from virus alerts in the past." they are still complacent when it comes to double clicking and opening attachments, even if they are unsure who's sent them or what they contain. "This was unlike previous virus emails which promised a look at Kylie's bum or other pictures. "it didnt have anything like that but millions were still curious enough to open it. All of this can be avoided by keeping your anti-virus software up-to-date and following basic rules like not opening attachments you havent asked for."

Keep Safe With Our Guide

You can easily detect whether your home computer is currently affected by any of this week's big viruses for free. Log on to the following websites to run a simple program that will scan your machine and clean it if necessary. Go to http://vil.nai.com/stinger and follow on-screen instructions. Or go to http://securityresponse.symantec.com and click on the 'check for security risks' button. To download Microsofts patch to protect yourself from MSblaster, go to www.windows.com/downloads.

Taken from the Sun newspaper, UK

If you want anymore information on this virus please go to: http://www.sarc.com/avcenter/venc/[email protected]

Oh and i know it affects Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP but it doesnt affect Linux, Macintosh, OS/2, UNIX, Windows 3.x:

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<font color="#9966FF" size="1">[ August 22, 2003 09:33 AM: Message edited by: hippo girl ]</font>

**hippo girl** · August 22nd, 2003, 12:48 PM

Oh and one more thing, apparantly it copies the email addy of one of your contacts who has had the virus so it looks like a normal email until you open it

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god why do they do it? i know they have to make a virus with every program so you know how to remove them but using them to destroy systems is rubbish!!

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