Virus Purporting Bin Laden Suicide Hits Web

[mandelion]

Thought I would share:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=575&e=1&u=/nm/tech_virus_binladen_dc


Technology - Internet Report
Virus Purporting Bin Laden Suicide Hits Web

Fri Jul 23, 5:59 PM ET

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A virus purporting to show images of Osama Bin Laden's suicide popped up on the Internet on Friday, designed to entice recipients to open a file that unleashes malicious software code, security experts said.

The virus was attached to a message that was posted on over 30,000 usenet newsgroups and is not being spread via e-mail, said Web security vendor Sophos.

The U.S. government has been hunting for Bin Laden since 2001, holding him responsible for masterminding the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon (news - web sites) on Sept. 11, 2001, but he has not yet been found.

Chris Kraft, senior security analyst at Sophos, said the message and virus was designed to lure unsuspecting readers into opening a file, similar to the Anna Kournikova (news - web sites) virus that enticed readers to open a file that unleashed malicious software code.

"If you don't know the person or the origin of a message, you shouldn't be opening it," Kraft said.

The fake Bin Laden suicide file, when opened, unleashes a program called a Trojan horse that makes it possible for attackers to take over infected personal computers running Microsoft Corp.'s (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) Windows operating system.

Kraft said the virus itself had already appeared on the Internet before, but the virus writer had apparently repackaged it by saying it contained Bin Laden's suicide photos.

[havocmom]

1. Good catch, mandelion. Thanks for the heads up

and welcome to the DU :hi:

Looking forward to seeing more of your posts around here. :toast:

[mandelion]

2. thanks..

I posted here awhile back on various threads but was asked if my rape made me unable to understand English by someone on this board so I went back to just lurking.

Thank you for the welcome.

[arikara]

3. I don't understand what you were asked about

but it sure doesn't sound very nice. Please feel welcome here, it is a good community.

[JayS]

4. This virus should not be much of a problem as the destructive...

...payload can only spread through grainy and poorly lit home videos. :)

[Aunt Anti-bush]

5. Thank you for posting.

If I'd have gotten that e-mail, I probably would have opened it up without thinking. Phew!