In the beginning of generic software - software that could be used by anyone - a program easily fitted on one or more floppies, even the ones of 'just' 160Kb. A virus via that medium spread either as a boot sector virus or attached to executables. Internet did not exist or was not widespread in these years - we are talking about the late 70's early 80's. But Bulletin Board Systems were abundant. Viruses spread attached to programs (Trojans) via these BBS's. They were extremely small, at least compared to the contemporary viruses, and the payload was single tasked: either overwrite a Boot sector or attach to a file. No sophisticated mechanisms were present in these viruses.
Programs and their supporting files soon no longer fitted on a few floppies and as a result viruses that made use of spreading via floppies disappeared more or less. As soon as you needed more than one CD to install your program Boot sector viruses were no longer an issue.
In the same time the Compact Disk (CD) became a very popular storage medium, making it virtually impossible to contaminate programs on that disk. At least as long as the software manufacturer paid attention. Also the Internet grew rapidly and became a public utility of mondial proportions: mid 1990's. As a result of these two developments virus coders needed a new vehicle to put their stuff in the wild. This made e-mail one of the most popular means to spread a virus. Of course viruses are still spread via floppies and files sent through mail or shared amongst friends etc etc. But the hyped Internet was a prime target of many script kiddy's building their thing in their bedroom. As a result a virus to have an effective payload became larger and larger and around 2002 sized up to 600Kb. Compared to 32K in the early years. Components as mail engine, polymorphic, binary devices are very common but result in relatively bloated viruses. Until now virus are not very intelligent. Most of them make use of security leaks of one particular (operating) system.
As by their nature to elude detection they should stay relatively small and thus cannot contain AI to adapt to a changed environment or sophisticated detection scheme. Unless you design a virus that get its information and resources from other sources: tapping from repositories on the basis of need.
The murky nature of coding a virus and stay away from the police often makes it difficult to identify the makers of the originals: the first occurrence of some type of virus. Also when there is a time delay built into a virus it makes it even more difficult to trace the creator of such software. Though by means of new laws that require providers to open up their system log files to be examined by various law enforcement agencies from different countries tracking back the origin becomes more viable. And no less the detection techniques, analyzing tools, containment methodologies, better firewalls et cetera, enable system en software engineers to better protect against viral attacks. But as long as viruses can be made in one's backyard and the tools to do so are only limited by the inventiveness of the creators the tug of war will go on eternally. Some day the police is on top, another day the virus will win a battle.
Alan Turing conceives the idea of self propagating programs.
The Elk Cloner was one of the first viruses in the wild(10) It infected Apple II floppies. When activated it displayed a rime on the screen.
Fred Cohen defines a computer virus and in an experiment he and his colleagues demonstrated the concept of a virus during a security seminar.
The Brain virus is the first bootsector virus allegedly
constructed by two Pakistani brothers. The Brain virus is dubbed to have been
the first one, but in fact Cohen and the Apple II virus were first.
The first Trojan virus was Pc-Write
Michelangelo virus
Concept virus
9 Apr, Microsoft Office 97 offers a new environment for viruses New Word and Excel macro viruses in Microsoft's Office 97. (13)
15 Oct, The EICAR standard anti-virus test file. A number of anti-virus researchers
have produced a file that their (and many other) products detect as if it were
a virus. (13)
Back orifice virus
20 August, The first Java virus has just appeared: Strange
Brew. Here are some questions and answers about the virus.
Melissa
10 November, VBS/BubbleBoy is the first virus to infect users when recipients read an email.(13)
1 December W32/ExploreZip-B spreads despite using the same tricks as the original version.
10 December David L Smith, the author of the Melissa virus, has pleaded guilty.
Love Letter
7 January, The WM97/Ethan virus was accidentally distributed on the December 1999 cover CD ROM of Developers Review magazine.
10 February, Viruses go Haiku! A new computer virus shows its creative touch - by generating random Haiku poetry when it infects computers.
5 April, Rush Killer virus alert is NOT a hoax..
21 June, VBS/Stages-A (aka Life Stages) is a worm that spreads via Microsoft
Outlook email and Internet Relay Chat (IRC)...
7 December, the W32/Prolin worm (also known as Shockwave).
16 Nov 2000 Navidad and Hybris viruses pose low threat to users practising safe
computing
30 Oct 2000 Reports from the Philippines indicate that a 19 year old male youth
has been questioned by the authorities about the so-called "Erap Estrada"
worm.
27 October, Microsoft hacked by Qaz a worm called W32/Qaz.
22 September, Phage virus low threat to Palm users
15 September, Chen Ing-Hau, the author of the infamous CIH virus, has been detained by authorities in Taiwan.
6 September, W2K/Stream which uses Alternate Data Streams (ADS) under Windows 2000.
4 September Erap Estrada Trojan horse threat overhyped, "Erap Estrada" (the nickname of the President of the Philippines, Joseph Estrada).
29 August Liberty Trojan horse low threat to Palm users
24 August Pokemon a virus which displays an animated cartoon of the Pokemon character Pikachu has captured the imagination of many in the media today.
21 August All charges against Onel de Guzman, the Filipino student suspected
of having released the VBS/LoveLetter virus in May, have been dropped.
Code
Red
A mail attachment contained the Kournikova worm. A smart way to spread a virus by enticing users to click on a picture of tennis player Kournicova, who was, depending on your taste, attractive enough to lure you into opening the message. By opening the mail your machine got infected with a so called mail worm. The result: you address book was used to send out more mail with the Kournicova worm attached.
Even when people were warned against opening such or look a like mail the mail still got opened to view the picture. The virus wasn't very harmful but spreading because of a smart combination of using the human curiosity and virus technology
British
TOrn virus maker arrested:(8)
The British police arrested a 21-year old male suspected to be the creator of the 'T0rn' virus that targeted Linux computer systems This was the result of an investigation that took over a year by combine British and American authorities. Virus writers are arrested seldom. The police finds the arrest an important step in the war against cyber crime. The 21 year old is arrested under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and released on bail. No further info is given by the police. The T0rn virus appeared in 2001, but caused little damage because it was targeted against Linux systems. The T0rn virus was redesigned by Chinese virus developers to the Lion virus, also causing little damage.
10 Dec Virtual fingerprints may have trapped Goner worm suspects, following the arrest of four Israeli youths involved in the writing and distribution of the Goner computer worm.
4 Dec Screensaver worm spreading fast - Goner-A (W32/Goner-A).
29 Nov Sophos voices concern about FBI's Magic Lantern e-bug
29 Nov Sega Dreamcast console game spreads virus. The Japanese-language version of Atelier Marie, a role-playing game for the Sega Dreamcast games console, is infected with a destructive computer virus.
21 Nov Bin Laden in China? A"Bin Laden" virus following media reports from China's official media of a new virus spreading across the country.
27 Sep Kournikova virus author sentenced a Dutch court today sentenced the writer of the Anna Kournikova virus. Jan de Wit, aka OnTheFly, has the been given the choice of 150 hours community service or 75 days in jail for unleashing the virus.
19 Sep Nimda virus spreading across internet - a destructive new virus called W32/Nimda-A.
14 Sep Suspected Kournikova virus author in dock, but FBI can find few companies willing to admit they were hit
15 Aug "Leaves" computer worm suspect seized by Scotland Yard and FBI
13 Jun Hacker disguises Subseven Trojan horse as McVeigh execution video
8 Jun Love Bug case reopened in Philippines against Onel de Guzman, alleged author of the VBS/LoveLet-A , also known as ILOVEYOU or the Love Bug, worm.
18 May Sri Lankan virus spreads political message, a new virus highlighting the friction between Muslims and Buddhists in Sri Lanka
4 May Instant Messaging signposts backdoor into organisations
Although the first worm written for the MSN Messenger platform holds little
threat to users, it does highlight the potential vulnerability that Instant
Messaging (IM) creates in IT security systems.
2 Apr Vierika virus suspect arrested in Italy Italian police have arrested a 30 year-old man suspected of writing the VBS/Vierika-A worm.
2 Apr Businessman sentenced after sending virus to competitor
A British businessman has been sentenced to community service after deliberately
sending a competitor a virus.
28 Mar Windows/Linux virus poses low threat
27 Feb German newspapers have reported that the Swiss Supreme court has sentenced a man to two months in prison after distributing a CD-ROM containing viruses
19 Feb The mayor of the Dutch town that spawned the Anna Kournikova computer worm (also known as VBS/SST-A) has reportedly made a tentative job offer to the virus author
14 Feb Kournikova worm maker is arrested in the Netherlands in connection with the VBS/SST-A computer worm
12 Feb Users should be aware of a new worm that poses as a picture of the popular Russian tennis pin-up, Anna Kournikova
8 Feb Italian lingo will limit this Love Bug's journey, users are warned for unexpected emails from their friends speaking Italian
6 Feb Employees are expected to email thousands of Valentine cards this Valentine's
Day which could be harbouring dangerous computer viruses.
8
Jan Macromedia virus: a flash in the pan.
The first virus capable of infecting Macromedia Flash files commonly used on popular websites.
28
Jan My party worm gatecrashes PCs
7
Feb Say it with flowers this Valentine's Day, says Sophos Anti-Virus
14
Feb 'Cool' worm chills users' online chats
4
Mar Girl composes virus in C#
The first ever virus written in C#, Microsoft's newest programming language, which can run natively on .NET platforms.
6
Mar Klez-E:
14
Mar Japanese speaking worm spreading in the wild: Bound worm (also known as
W32/FBound-C)
22
Mar Sophos Anti-Virus says Bill caricature isn't funny.
The new Caricature email worm (W32/Caric-A) which is spreading in the wild.
26
Apr Not guilty!
Klez fakes emails from anti-virus companies
2
May, David L. Smith, creator of the Melissa virus, has been sentenced to 20
months in a federal prison and fined $5,000.
A day earlier the author has described the virus as "a colossal mistake". The sentence comes nearly three years after Smith wrote and released the program which caused millions of dollars of damage to computer networks around the world. (25)
Melissa author sentenced and fined again May 14. David L Smith, the creator of the Melissa Word macro worm, has received a 10 year prison sentence in a state court, but has been told he will be out in less than 2 years.
21
May World Cup virus aims to foul football fans.
Computer users must be extra vigilant against virus threats as excitement surrounding the World Cup competition reaches fever pitch.
7 Jun, Today (a US daily paper) advised computer users of the threat posed by a new virus which tries to exploit workers desperate to find out the latest scores from the World Cup in S Korea/Japan.
6
Jun Shakira worms her way back for an encore
14
Jun Picture this: a virus in a JPEG.
Today, a US newspaper, called for the anti-virus industry to act responsibly in light of the discovery of the first virus capable of infecting JPEG graphic files.
17
Jun Microsoft accidentally ships Nimda in Korea.
Microsoft has confirmed that it accidentally distributed to developers a copy of the W32/Nimda virus in Korean versions of its Visual Studio.net package.
18
Jun Filipino claims to be JPEG virus author.
Paul Glenerson B. Amurao, a 21 year old Filipino, has claimed in a media interview to be the author of the first virus to attempt to infect .JPG graphic files.
28
Jun Nimda strikes online gamers.
GameSpy, a website that delivers live multiplayer gaming to thousands of users around the world, has acknowledged that it unwittingly distributed a virus earlier this week.
28
Jun Indian sympathisers launch denial of service attack on Pakistani government.
A widespread internet worm has launched an attack on the Pakistani government's website and is encouraging Indian hackers and virus writers to join forces and attack Pakistan.
5
Jul Not all viruses are successful, however much they try.
The vast majority of viruses fail to spread successfully in the wild, and yet some of them still manage to interest customers and the media.
6
Aug Is it a GameCube emulator or a virus?
The Surnova worm appeals to console game fans by posing as a GameCube or XBox emulator.
6
Aug According to Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, five youngsters have been charged
with willful damage to personal and business property by the writing and dissemination
of computer viruses, specifically W32/Goner-A virus which spread worldwide late
last year.
The indictment states that, amongst the damage caused, the virus caused servers to crash at organizations including NASA, a consulting company in New Jersey, Israeli company Radvision, and the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. (25)
27
Aug New worm provides sad snapshot of virus writer psyche.
The Duload worm (W32/Duload-A), which has the potential to infect PCs connected to the KaZaA file sharing network, may be a damp squib when it comes to infecting users, but it certainly provides an interesting insight into the topics that may occupy many virus writers' minds, according to Sophos.
16
Sep Slapper teaches users value of safe sex.
Sophos urges Unix users to tighten up their safe computing procedures in order to curb the spread of the new Slapper worm (Linux/Slapper-A).
20
Sep Police arrest suspected UK hacker after international operation
The author of the T0rn rootkit is arrested in Surbiton.
1
Oct W32/Bugbear-A FAQ Sophos says simple steps stop Bugbear worm dead in its
tracks
Sophos advises on the spreading Bugbear worm, and offers advice on how to protect against it. Frequently Asked Questions about W32/Bugbear-A. A week after its first appearance the W32/Bugbear-A worm continues to cause problems. that a large number of computer users are continuing to call its support department requesting information. The W32/Bugbear-A worm contains a bug meaning it can cause network printers to spurt out pages of garbage.
8
Oct Mac users cannot be infected by Bugbear worm.
Because of the way the W32/Bugbear-A worm spoofs its email addresses, Mac users may think they have been infected. Sophos advises that the virus will not run on their computers.
24
Oct Friendly Greetings?
You might be spreading unwanted email - Sophos advises on new email nuisance Sophos technical support has received a significant number of calls from customers concerned about a widespread email which invites users to pick up an "E-Card" from a website called either FriendGreetings.com, friend-greetings.com or Cool-Downloads.com.
30
Oct Kournikova author loses appeal.
According to media reports the author of the infamous Anna Kournikova worm has lost an appeal against his sentence for writing and distributing the virus in February 2001.
13
Nov There's a RAT in my network: Sophos reminds users to patch vulnerabilities.
Sophos reminds companies to be vigilant against the threat of Remote Access Trojans (RATs) following the news that a man has been accused of hacking into US Government networks.
13
Nov Welshman faces charges over child porn and three viruses.
A Welsh web designer has appeared in court in connection with possession of child pornography and creating and distributing three mass-mailing computer viruses: Gokar, Redesi and Admirer.
27
Nov Korean conference inspires anti-anti-virus virus behaviour - Sophos warns
of Winevar worm.
Sophos believes the author of the new Winevar worm (W32/Winevar-A), was inspired by the Association of Anti-Virus Asia Researchers (AVAR) conference, held last week in Seoul, Korea.
29
Nov Are CEOs bad for your company's data?
The W32/Winevar-A worm makes changes to a computer's settings so files with a .CEO extension are treated as though they are executable.
20
Dec Welsh virus writer pleads guilty to infecting 27,000 PCs
Simon Vallor, a 21 year old web designer from Llandudno, North Wales, has pleaded guilty to charges, under section three of the Computer Misuse Act 1990, of writing and distributing three mass-mailing computer viruses.
Bugbear, MS Blaster,
The
SoBig.F worm is the most virulent worm detected so far.
Its payload is surprisingly effective. Also surprising was that the maker of this virus programmed an expiration date into the virus. Its last action should be by attacking the Microsoft site. One of the messages generated by this virus were:
"Billy Gates, why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software"
5 Dec 2003 Bogus Apple iPod spam attempts to launch attack on police phone system
to flood the telephone lines of the Cambridgeshire Police Force.
2
Dec 2003 Adult Mimail-L worm wages war on anti-spam websites.
A new variant of the Mimail worm spreads via a sordid email, and attacks anti-spam websites.
26 Nov 2003 Suspected virus writer arrested in Spain.
Spanish police have announced that they have arrested a suspected virus author, the first believed to have ever been apprehended in Spain.
25 Nov 2003 Saucy email distributes new Sysbug Trojan horse.
A Trojan horse has been distributed posing as a collection of naked pictures from an erotic entanglement.
21 Nov 2003 Fake PayPal emails continue to cause worm worries.
The latest versions of the Mimail worms continue to spread, posing as a message from PayPal. Sophos warns the worms are attempting to steal confidential banking information.
13
Nov 2003 Mobile users face virus fears as bluejacking craze causes panic.
The new mobile phone craze of "bluejacking" has panicked some users into thinking they might be under attack from a cell phone virus, Sophos technical support reports.
6 Nov 2003 Future virus writers beware! Microsoft earmarks $4.5 million bounty
for capture.
As well as offering $500,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the authors of the Sobig and Blaster worms, Microsoft has also earmarked an additional $4.5 million reward fund for apprehending future virus writers.
5
Nov 2003 Zelig virus suspect charged in Italy for stealing 100,000 Euros with
premium-rate call scam.
A 39-year-old Italian man is reported to have been charged with fraud and virus distribution in Italy, in relation to the W32/Marq-A worm (also known as Zelig).
4
Nov 2003 Beware the bogus bank email also known as Phishing
3
Nov 2003 Email virus lures with adult "Sex and the City" outtakes.
The Torvil worm poses as outtakes from the raunchy "Sex and the City" TV show in an attempt to tempt computer users.
3 Nov 2003 Mimail worms launch attacks against anti-spam websites.
Variants of the Mimail worm launch denial of service attacks against anti-spam websites.
29 Oct 2003 Sober still spreading says Sophos
Sophos, a world leader in anti-virus and anti-spam protection for businesses,
is advising that reports from England and Germany of the Windows worm W32/Sober-A
have been steadily increasing since its discovery on Monday.
21 Oct 2003 China crisis: computer viruses rampant says survey
A survey conducted by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security shows that approximately
85% of computers in the country were infected with a virus this year.
17 Oct 2003 Teen hacker cleared by jury - blames other hackers for port of
Houston attack. Sophos comments on difficulties faced by computer crime prosecutors
Teenage hacker Aaron Caffrey has walked free from court after being cleared
of trying to bring down one of North America's biggest ports by hacking into
its computer systems.
7 Oct 2003 Court interpreters strike after pay rise delayed by computer virus,
Sophos comments
Court interpreters in South Africa have gone on strike, after a computer virus
was blamed for delaying their pay rises.
6 Oct 2003 Microsoft releases patch against latest Explorer vulnerability,
Sophos comments
Microsoft has issued a security patch which reportedly fixes a critical vulnerability
in versions of Internet Explorer. The vulnerability was recently exploited by
the Troj/Qhosts-1 Trojan horse.
2 Oct 2003 Minor arrested in connection with RPC Spybot worm
A juvenile has been arrested in the USA in connection with the W32/RpcSpybot
worm.
19 Sep 2003 Gibe-F worm is easy to avoid, says Sophos
Sophos warns that the W32/Gibe-F worm (also known as Swen) disguises itself
as a Microsoft security patch. However, by following safe computing guidelines
it is simple to avoid infection.
18 Sep 2003 Blaster worm suspect pleads not guilty in Seattle court
Jeffrey Lee Parson, has pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with the
Blaster worm in Seattle.
18 Sep 2003 Court documents reveal that Melissa's author helped authorities
catch other virus writers
David L Smith, the author of the Melissa virus, is claimed to have assisted
the FBI in capturing other virus writers.
11 Sep 2003 Critical new security hole in MS Windows discovered, Sophos offers
advice
A critical security vulnerability has been discovered in versions of Microsoft
Windows, which could allow a remote attacker to run code on a user's system.
Sophos advises all companies to sign-up for Microsoft's security vulnerability
notification list.
10 Sep 2003 Romanian police charge Blaster-F worm suspect, Sophos Anti-Virus
comments
A 24-year-old Romanian man has been charged with cybercrime offences in relation
to the W32/Blaster-F worm.
10 Sep 2003 Two British men charged in Trojan horse case, Sophos Anti-Virus
comments
Two men from the North East of England have been charged in connection with
the TK Worm (also known as Troj/TKBot-A).
5 Sep 2003 No need to panic over 9/11 worm, says Sophos Anti-Virus
The W32/Neroma worm has caught the media's attention due to its reference to
the anniversary of the 11 September terrorist attacks. However, Sophos believes
it poses a low threat to customers who practise safe computing.
5 Sep 2003 Confusion surrounds Blaster-F worm investigation in Romania, Sophos
Anti-Virus comments
Police in Romania were reported to have arrested a 24-year-old man in connection
with W32/Blaster-F. Now the Romanian police have denied any such arrest has
taken place.
4 Sep 2003 Computer worm attacks British Prime Minister Tony Blair, reveals
Sophos Anti-Virus
A new worm launches an attack on British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and attempts
to launch a denial of service attack against 10 Downing Street's website.
2 Sep 2003 Mimail email worm still causing problems one month on, says Sophos
Anti-Virus
Sophos urges users to practise safe computing, to prevent the Mimail worm from
spreading.
30 Aug 2003 Blaster worm suspect arrested and named - computers seized in Minnesota.
Sophos Anti-Virus comments
The suspected author of a variant of the Blaster has been arrested in Minnesota.
29 Aug 2003 FBI set to arrest Blaster worm suspect, Sophos Anti-Virus comments
Accoridng to media reports, the FBI is expected to arrest a man today in connection
with a variant of the Blaster worm.
28 Aug 2003 Computer virus blamed as man cleared of tax evasion and fradulent
returns
An Alabama Accountant has been acquitted of filing fraudulent tax returns, having
blamed the damage on a virus.
22 Aug 2003 Sobig-F worm timeline and latest news, from Sophos Anti-Virus
Sophos lists the latest developments regarding the Sobig-F worm.
22 Aug 2003 Sobig-F worm: Sophos advises on how to prevent the worm from downloading
a malicious update
Sophos experts have advised network and system administrators that they can
take immediate action to prevent the W32/Sobig-F worm from downloading a potentially
malicious update from the internet.
22 Aug 2003 Sobig-F worm has twist in tail - Sophos warns of possible "Trojan
horse" download
Sophos warns that the Sobig-F worm attempts to download unknown executable code
from the internet between 19:00-22:00 GMT on Fridays and Sundays.
21 Aug 2003 Macintosh users bugged by Sobig-F worm, Sophos Anti-Virus explains
how Windows worm can be a nuisance
Sophos advises Macintosh users that they cannot be infected by the Sobig-F worm,
but that it can still pose a nuisance.
20 Aug 2003 Don't let an auto-responder fool you during Sobig worm outbreak
Sophos advises that users should be cautious before believing automated messages
from email servers telling them they are infected with W32/Sobig-F.
19 Aug 2003 Sobig-F worm spreading fast, Sophos suspects author is using spam
techniques
Has the Sobig-F worm been spread using spam technology?
19 Aug 2003 Many reports of Sobig-F worm spreading, Sophos Anti-Virus advises
Sophos technical support has advised that it is receiving many reports of the
latest variant of the Sobig worm, W32/Sobig-F.
19 Aug 2003 Nachi worm tries to undo Blaster damage - but no virus is a good
virus, says Sophos
The Nachi worm attemps to remove the Blaster worm from infected computers, and
patch against a Microsoft security vulnerability.
15 Aug 2003 Microsoft extinguishes Windowsupdate.com website - attempts to
sidestep Blaster worm attack, Sophos comments
In an attempt to avoid the spoiling tactics of the Blaster worm, Microsoft renames
its update website.
15 Aug 2003 New Trojan horse disguised as Blaster worm fix - "Cheap confidence
trick", says Sophos
A Trojan has been distributed disguised as a fix from Microsoft against the
Blaster vulnerability
15 Aug 2003 Blaster blackout? Sophos questions rumours that internet worm was
responsible for North American power cuts
Sophos has questioned rumours circulating on the internet that the W32/Blaster-A
worm may have been responsible for yesterday's power blackouts in North America.
14 Aug 2003 Laptops may bring Blaster disaster, Sophos Anti-Virus issues advice
Sophos warns that laptop users can bring the Blaster worm into seemingly protected
companies.
14 Aug 2003 Blaster worm variants discovered, Sophos Anti-Virus provides protection
Two new variants of the Blaster worm have been discovered.
13 Aug 2003 Blaster worm impact may snowball as number of reports increases,
warns Sophos
an increased number of calls from users concerned about the prolific
Blaster worm.
12 Aug 2003 Blaster worm exploits Microsoft security hole and targets critical
update website, Sophos warns
The W32/Blaster-A worm spreads across the internet, exploiting a vulnerability
in versions of Microsoft Windows and attempting to launch an attack on a critical
update website run by Microsoft.
6 Aug 2003 Computer virus causes Pan American Games to trip up, says Sophos
A computer virus is said to have disrupted the results service at the Pan American
Games being held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
6 Aug 2003 Autorooter Trojan reminds users to patch against critical Microsoft
vulnerability, says Sophos
Sophos technical support says that the Autorooter Trojan acts as a timely reminder
of the importance of applying a critical security patch from Microsoft.
6 Aug 2003 US courts turn blind eye to hacking in order to convict child porn
criminal, Sophos Anti-Virus comments
Last week's verdict from a US federal appeal panel could have far-reaching implications
for the IT security industry. During a pornography case, evidence supplied by
an anonymous hacker was deemed submissible.
4 Aug 2003 Apple Mac and Unix users immune from Mimail worm attack, advises
Sophos Anti-Virus
Sophos advises users of Apple Macintosh and Unix computers that they cannot
be infected by the W32/Mimail-A worm.
4 Aug 2003 UK firms waking up to Mimail attack; worm infections reaching new
peak, says Sophos Anti-Virus
Sophos urges UK firms to take action against the Mimail worm.
2 Aug 2003 Is your company protected against the Mimail worm?, asks Sophos
Anti-Virus
Sophos is urging system administrators to take action against a new mass-mailing
worm which has hit hard in the United States.
1 Aug 2003 Man blames Trojan horse for child pornography, Sophos Anti-Virus
reports
A British man blames a Trojan horse for child pornography stored on his computer,
and threatens to sue the police.
31 Jul 2003 Microsoft Windows users encouraged to deploy critical vulnerability
patch, Sophos offers advice
Microsoft warns users of a vulnerability that may allow hackers to gain complete
control over a remote Windows computer.
25 Jul 2003 Naked Chef lovers cause email indigestion, reports Sophos Anti-Virus
Sophos technical support has reminded users of the nuisance caused by forwarding
emails, as a message claiming to contain the contents of celebrity chef Jamie
Oliver's recipe book cooks up a storm on the internet.
24 Jul 2003 Minister blames wrong examination marks on computer virus
The West Bengal Education Minister, Kanti Biswas, has blamed a computer virus
for students receiving incorrect marks in Higher Secondary examinations this
week.
23 Jul 2003 Virus writer's appeal fails - Simon Vallor's two year jail sentence
stands
Simon Vallor, the Welsh virus writer who infected thousands of computers, has
failed to have his prison sentence cut on appeal.
18 Jul 2003 Gruel worms launch cruel attack on Microsoft, Sophos Anti-Virus
says beware
The Gruel worm poses as a critical security patch from Microsoft, and displays
a message abusing the Microsoft operating system.
16 Jul 2003 New Coconut worm knocks block off anti-virus expert, "Shy
away" says Sophos
A new email-aware worm arrives in the form of a coconut shy game.
11 Jul 2003 Invited to watch a comedy movie? New viral marketing stunt has
similar impact to real virus, Sophos warns
Sophos has received a number of reports from customers concerned about an email
inviting them to view comedy video clips on a website.
10 Jul 2003 Bill Gates is the biggest hoax on the internet, says Sophos
The "Bill Gates fortune" hoax has taken top spot on Sophos's list
of most commonly encountered email chain letters, virus hoaxes and scams.
7 Jul 2003 Don't let Julia Roberts worm bog down your email system, warns Sophos
Anti-Virus
Sophos warns of a worm disguised as a movie of Hollywood actress Julia Roberts.
3 Jul 2003 Virus writers strictly PC; Macs largely snubbed by cyber underworld,
says Sophos
A report published by Sophos reveals that the vast majority of viruses are ignoring
owners of Macintosh computers and targeting PC users instead.
3 Jul 2003 Kylie? Halle? Celine? Lorraine? Mapson worm creates confusion, says
Sophos Anti-Virus
A worm which can spread exploiting the names of celebrities such as actress
Halle Berry, popstar Kylie Minogue and chanteuse Celine Dion creates confusion.
1 Jul 2003 Colevo worm highlights violent coca crop dispute in Bolivia, says
Sophos Anti-Virus
The W32/Colevo worm highlights the increasing political turmoil in the South
American country of Bolivia.
26 Jun 2003 Unzip at your peril - it may be Sobig worm, says Sophos
Sophos technical support reports an increasing number of users being troubled
by the new Sobig-E worm.
25 Jun 2003 "Punk" worm pays tribute to The Offspring: Pretty sly
from a virus guy, says Sophos
Users infected by the W32/Magold-D worm are complaining that the slogan 'PUNK'S
NOT DEAD =:-)' is appearing on their screens.
25 Jun 2003 Sophos triumphs at Cannes Film Festival, protecting against over
250 virus attacks
that it successfully protected the Cannes Film Festival from
all virus attacks during the course of the prestigious event.
24 Jun 2003 Free flight email hoax puts Dolly in a spin
An email chain letter which deludes people into thinking British Airways are
offering free flights to Asia has spread widely amongst internet users.
20 Jun 2003 Fortnight worm exploits old security vulnerability - Sophos reminds
users to get into the patching habit
Recent reports of users being hit by the Fortnight JavaScript worm underline
that many computers are still not being reliably patched against critical security
vulnerabilities. that the worm exploits a vulnerability that
Microsoft first issued a patch against almost three years ago.
19 Jun 2003 Sobig-D worm is no big deal
The latest incarnation of the Sobig worm does not appear to be spreading as
quickly as its predecessors.
6 Jun 2003 Credit card details at risk from Bugbear-B virus, warns Sophos
Sophos warns of the keystroke logger built into the Bugbear-B virus, which has
the potential to steal confidential information, including credit card details.
6 Jun 2003 Slammer worm code publication could inspire more virus activity,
warns Sophos
Sophos reacts with concern to news that Wired magazine is planning to publish
source code for the Slammer internet worm.
5 Jun 2003 Bugbear reloaded: New variant of virus spreading widely, warns Sophos
Sophos warns about a new polymorphic version of the Bugbear virus, spreading
across the internet.
3 Jun 2003 Sophos joins other anti-virus industry experts in signing public
letter regarding virus writing classes at the University of Calgary
Experts at Sophos have joined forces with colleagues and competitors in the
anti-virus industry, signing a letter regarding the University of Calgary's
plans to teach virus writing to students.
3 Jun 2003 Will another Sobig virus strike next week? Sophos spots pattern
The latest variant of the Sobig worm is programmed to stop spreading from Sunday,
8 June. Sophos speculates on the possible reasons why the virus author may have
done this.
2 Jun 2003 Microsoft's Bill is Sobig - New virus spreading widely says Sophos
Sophos warns of the W32/Sobig-C computer virus which can pose as an email from
Microsoft's Bill Gates.
28 May 2003 Sophos CEO says: "I won't hire virus writing students"
Dr Jan Hruska, CEO of Sophos, discourages students from engaging in virus writing.
23 May 2003 University course for virus-writing is irresponsible, says Sophos
A University of Calgary course offers students the opportunity to write malicious
viruses and worms.
19 May 2003 Sobig-B worm to fall dormant on 31 May 2003
The W32/Sobig-B worm is programmed to fall dormant at the end of the month.
19 May 2003 Sobig-B worm disguises itself as an email from Microsoft, Sophos
advises An email-aware worm distributes itself as a PIF file, pretending to
be from Microsoft technical support.
16 May 2003 Australian hacker sentenced upon appeal, Sophos says better late
than never
Australian hacker Stephen Craig Dendtler, who gained unauthorised access to
hundreds of thousands of customers records and passwords, is sentenced upon
appeal.
15 May 2003 Fizzer computer worm: bubbling but buggy
Sophos experts report that the prevalent Fizzer worm contains a bug which reduces
its chances of spreading even more widely.
13 May 2003 Fizzer is still making the rounds
The email-aware worm, W32/Fizzer-A, first seen late last week, seems to be picking
up pace. Until today, Sophos had received only a handful of reports, but the
numbers are now rising.
23 Apr 2003 Coronex computer worm exploits SARS worries
A new computer worm takes advantage of increasing concern over the biological
SARS virus in its attempt to spread.
7 Apr 2003 "Why have anti-hacking laws at all?" asks anti-virus vendor
Sophos
Sophos reacts with surprise to the news that a man from Bankstown, New South
Wales, whose lawyer admitted his client had broken the law by hacking into OptusNet,
appears to have been let off scot free.
4 Apr 2003 US democracy held up by computer virus, Sophos reveals
Vote counting in Will County, Illinois, was disrupted this week as a virus apparently
crashed a server responsible for counting votes and making results available
to the electorate.
3 Apr 2003 World Trade Center virus hoax continues to cause problems
A computer virus hoax, themed around the 11 September 2001 terrorist activity,
continues to cause problems.
25 Mar 2003 Suspected Ganda virus author questioned by Swedish police - worm
posed as spy satellite photos of Iraq
The suspected virus author of the W32/Ganda-A worm is reported to have been
identified and questioned in Sweden
21 Mar 2003 Ganda virus writer pleads for a better education
The author of the W32/Ganda-A worm which claimed to offer spy satellite photographs
of Iraq appears to have been demanding a better education.
20 Mar 2003 Bug in Siemens mobile phones not a virus, advises Sophos
A bug in some Siemens mobile phones which can make the phones freeze upon receiving
certain text messages is not the same as a virus, advise Sophos experts.
18 Mar 2003 Swedish computer worm lures with Iraq spy satellite photos
The W32/Ganda-A worm feeds on the public's interest in a possible military conflict
in Iraq in an attempt to lure innocent users into launching it.
14 Mar 2003 The Bibrog worm: Sophos says stay ahead of the game
A new email-aware worm poses as a shooting game. Sophos advises companies to
use a combination of technology and safe computing policies to reduce the risk
of virus attack.
12 Mar 2003 New Code Red worm variant need not cause panic
A new variant of the infamous Code Red worm is unlikely to cause much havoc,
say Sophos experts. However, system administrators who have not already put
protection in place are advised to download the patch from Microsoft.
12 Mar 2003 Nice hello, nasty virus
Sophos experts warn users to be wary of emails from friends speaking Spanish.
The W32/Nicehello-A worm is unlikely to spread far due to its reliance on the
Spanish language.
12 Mar 2003 Virus writers fight in virtual playground
The Indian Snakes, the virus-writing gang behind a new variant of the W32/Yaha
worm, taunt other virus writers and hackers in their latest creation.
28 Feb 2003 Internet timebomb won't explode on 03/03/03, says Sophos Anti-Virus
An internet chain letter predicts that the internet will stop working on Monday,
3 March 2003. Sophos debunks the threat and provides advice to users on what
they should do if they receive the warning.
26 Feb 2003 42% of SMEs only update their anti-virus software once a week,
reveals Sophos survey
A Sophos survey of 4500 system administrators reveals that many small to medium-sized
enterprises around the world are not updating their anti-virus software often
enough.
25 Feb 2003 The Lovgate affair: a storm in a teacup?
Many people have searched the Sophos website searching for information on the
Lovgate computer worm, but very few seem to have been actually infected by it.
13 Feb 2003 Stupid cupid - did you fall for a bogus Valentine?
Sophos technical support has received a number of enquiries from users who have
received an unsolicited electronic Valentine card via email, concerned that
it might be a virus.
13 Feb 2003 New worm touts more unauthorised Catherine Zeta-Jones snaps, reveals
Sophos Anti-Virus
on a new computer worm which claims to contain pictures of Hollywood
actress Catherine Zeta-Jones
6 Feb 2003 Men questioned in UK and USA regarding internet Trojan horse
Law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom and USA search premises in probe
into internet computer menace.
4 Feb 2003 Dum di dum di dum di... doh! BBC's The Archers sends out a virus
The BBC has confirmed that subscribers to its email newsletter about The Archers,
the world's longest running radio serial, were accidentally sent the Sobig worm.
27 Jan 2003 System administrators blame each other for spread of Slammer internet
worm, Sophos poll reveals
A web poll of more than 200 business PC users, conducted by Sophos Anti-Virus,
has revealed that most blame their fellow system administrators for the spread
of the SQL Slammer internet worm in the last few days.
27 Jan 2003 Sophos FAQ on Slammer worm (W32/SQLSlam-A)
Sophos answers frequently asked questions about the W32/SQLSlam-A internet worm.
25 Jan 2003 Sophos Anti-Virus warns of SQLSlammer internet worm - W32/SQLSlam-A
causes internet slowdown
Sophos experts warn of a new internet worm that affects vulnerable SQL servers.
24 Jan 2003 JDBGMGR - Virus hoax shows no sign of fading
that JDBGMGR, the virus hoax that first appeared in April 2002,
is still causing disruption almost a year after it first appeared.
23 Jan 2003 Red faces as Norway's Data Inspectorate distributes virus
Datatilsynet, the Norwegian Data Inspectorate, apologised to subscribers of
its email newsletter on computer security earlier this week after accidentally
distributing the FunLove virus.
22 Jan 2003 46% feel virus writer sentence was not harsh enough, reveals Sophos
poll
A web poll of more than 600 business PC users, conducted by Sophos Anti-Virus,
has revealed that 46% believe that yesterday's sentencing of Simon Vallor, the
22 year old found guilty of writing and distributing three malicious computer
viruses, was not harsh enough.
21 Jan 2003 Two years jail for UK virus writer who infected 27,000 PCs, Sophos
reacts
Simon Vallor, the twenty-two year old web designer from North Wales who, in
December 2002, pleaded guilty to writing and distributing three computer viruses,
was today sentenced at Southwark Crown Court, London to a two year custodial
sentence. His viruses - Gokar, Redesi and Admirer - were proven to have infected
27,000 PCs in 42 countries.
20 Jan 2003 Female virus writer attacks her fellow coders
Gigabyte, the female virus writer believed to be based in Belgium, has released
a virus which displays messages attacking another virus writer and attempts
to disinfect the W32/Yaha-K worm.
20 Jan 2003 Sophos counters Welsh virus writer's "caused no damage"
claims
Simon Vallor, a virus writer awaiting sentence for his crimes in the UK, claims
his viruses did no damage. However, Sophos experts who have analysed his viruses
find the truth is somewhat different.
15 Jan 2003 Sobig and getting bigger
Five days after its first appearance, the W32/Sobig-A worm continues to cause
problems.
8 Jan 2003 Avril Lavigne worm needn't be so complicated, says Sophos
has received a number
reports of a new worm called Avril or Lirva circulating in the wild.
3 Jan 2003 W32/Yaha-K: Are you protected?
Details on the W32/Yaha-K worm and how to protect against it.
Spam is threatening the very existence of the internet. And every day more
aggressive methods are used. Since the anti spam laws in most countries came
into effect a spam message must contain an "opt-out" option. It is
exactly this opt-out that causes even more spam since the same option is used
to change you PC into an 'open proxy'(11) with one single
purpose: to spread even more spam.(12)
29
Dec 2004 New mobile malware and Symbian worm source code published online.
A Brazilian programmer has published source code for the latest Symbian mobile phone viruses on his website.
21
Dec 2004 Santy internet worm attacks web bulletin boards
The Santy internet worm is defacing web bulletin boards running phpBB.
20 Dec 2004 British teen receives sentence in Randex worm case,
A 16-year-old British youth has received a six month sentence for his part in distributing a computer worm.
17
Dec 2004 Phishing Trojan horse suspects arrested in Germany,
German police arrest suspected phishing Trojan horse gang.
17
Dec 2004 Zafi-D worm threat begins to subside, but Sophos warns users not to
be complacent.
As the Zafi-D worm reduces in prevalence, Sophos warns of other viruses which may exploit the holiday season.
16 Dec 2004 Worms strip the glitter from Christmas email messages.
Sophos advises users not to send seasonal greetings via words, rather than snazzy HTML, JPG, EXE or screensaver files.
15 Dec 2004 One in every ten emails infected by Christmas card virus, reports Sophos
The Zafi-D worm is accounting for 75% of all virus reports in the last 24 hours.
15 Dec 2004 Microsoft issues important security updates, Sophos advises customers
to patch now
Microsoft has issued a batch of security fixes for users of Microsoft Windows.
The software company has rated the patches as "important" (its second
highest level of severity), and recommended that affected customers apply the
updates at the "earliest possible opportunity".
14 Dec 2004 Latest Zafi worm spreading in the wild as email Christmas greeting,
The W32/Zafi-D worm spreads in the form of a seasonal Christmas greeting.
13 Dec 2004 Three new variants of Cabir smartphone virus discovered
Three new variants of the Cabir bluetooth smartphone virus have been discovered.
9 Dec 2004 Playgirl email virus gets political and attacks Chechen rebel
websites,
The Maslan-C worm is designed to attack websites run by Chechen rebels.
8 Dec 2004 Trojan horse poses as controversial Lycos Europe anti-spam screensaver,
A Trojan horse has been distributed via email, posing as a controversial
screensaver which attacks spammers' websites.
2 Dec 2004 Microsoft issues fix for Bofra worm vulnerability,
Microsoft has issued a patch for Internet Explorer which reportedly fixes
the vulnerability exploited by the Bofra worm.
30 Nov 2004 Skulls-B Trojan horse shouldn't scare security-conscious smartphone
owners, says Sophos
A new version of the Skulls Trojan horse for Symbian smartphones is no reason
for panic, advises Sophos.
29 Nov 2004 Police question notorious ex-virus writer and confiscate computers,
Police in the Czech Republic have questioned "Benny" of the 29A
virus-writing gang and confiscated computer equipment.
24 Nov 2004 Italian senate hit by gay porn worm attack, Sophos comments
Sophos recommends companies ensure appropriate defences are in place to avoid
virus incidents as the Italian senate is disrupted by a variant of the Rbot
worm
23 Nov 2004 Skulls Trojan horse shouldn't panic Symbian mobile phone owners,
says Sophos
Users should not panic as the Skulls Trojan horse for Symbian mobile phones
is discovered.
23 Nov 2004 Virus author stalks Asian pop idol with malicious email, reports
Sophos
The W32/Favsin-A virus spreads via email, containing messages about Asian
pop idol Stefanie Sun Yanzi.
23 Nov 2004 New Sober-I worm dominates virus reports as it continues to cause
headaches, says Sophos
The Sober-I worm has continued to spread via email over the weekend.
19 Nov 2004 Many reports of Sober-I worm spreading via email, reports Sophos
The Sober-I email worm is reported to be spreading widely.
18 Nov 2004 Worm uses Asian female popstar as bait, on Sun Yanzi
virus
Computer virus experts at Sophos have warned computer users of an email worm
which spreads using emails and filenames connected to Asian popstar, Stefanie
Sun Yanzi.
18 Nov 2004 Trouble for 29A virus-writing gang as Russian member is sentenced,
Sophos comments
Authorities in Russia have pronounced a member of the notorious international
29A gang guilty of writing viruses.
17 Nov 2004 NatWest suspends online banking services to deflect new phishing
attack, Sophos comments
NatWest bank has been forced to suspend some of its online banking services
as it has come under attack from a new phishing scam. Customers
17 Nov 2004 Porno Trojan horse lies in wait for seedy web surfers, says Sophos
The Troj/Delf-IT Trojan horse redirects web browsers to a pornographic website.
11 Nov 2004 UK online bank accounts put at risk by new Trojan, reports Sophos
Security researchers at Sophos are warning of a Trojan horse which helps
criminals break into the accounts of British internet banking customers.
10 Nov 2004 Bored computer virus offers to play a musical tune,
Anti-virus experts at Sophos have identified a new computer virus which complains
of being bored, whilst secretly opening a backdoor for hackers.
10 Nov 2004 Microsoft releases important security patch, but no sign of a
Bofra fix yet says Sophos
Microsoft has published details of a security issue with their ISA Server
and Proxy Server software.
9 Nov 2004 Sophos explains how the Bofra worm spreads
Sophos explains how the Bofra worm infects computers.
9 Nov 2004 Bofra-B worm poses as PayPal purchase, on virus exploiting
unpatched Microsoft vulnerability
The Bofra-B sends emails pretending to be notification from PayPal of a $175
credit card purchase.
8 Nov 2004 Bofra worms spread via unpatched Internet Explorer security hole,
The Bofra worm exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer.
8 Nov 2004 Spammers use Trojan horse to send SMS spam to mobile phone users,
Anti-virus experts at Sophos have identified a new Trojan horse which attempts
to send spam messages to mobile phone users.
4 Nov 2004 Bin Laden terrorist video email is really a virus, warns Sophos
The W32/Famus-F email worm poses as a video from terrorist leader Osama Bin
Laden.
4 Nov 2004 "Hard drive killer" instant message virus is a hoax,
Sophos has urged users not to panic, as a hoax about a Yahoo instant messenger
virus has been distributed amongst internet users.
29 Oct 2004 Bagle-AU worm disables Windows XP SP2 firewall, reports Sophos
Sophos warns users that the Bagle-AU worm can turn off security software,
including firewalls.
29 Oct 2004 New Bagle worm variant spreading quickly via email, Sophos provides
proactive protection
The W32/Bagle-AU worm is spreading actively in the wild.
28 Oct 2004 Son of Zafi email worm attacks Hungarian Prime Minister, on
virus with a political agenda
The Zafi-C email worm attempts to launch a distributed denial of service
attack against the websites of Google, Microsoft and the Hungarian Prime
Minister.
25 Oct 2004 Sasser computer worm trial delayed,
The trial of Sven Jaschan, the German teenager said to be responsible for
70% of the virus infections in the first half of 2004, has been delayed until
next year.
25 Oct 2004 Beware the bogus Red Hat security update email, warns Sophos
Users of Red Hat Linux are being targeted by an email which offers them a
bogus security update.
25 Oct 2004 Renepo worm targets Mac OS X users,
Sophos experts have advised system administrators of a new Mac OS X worm
which attempts to turn off firewall and other security software.
22 Oct 2004 New Baba worm linked to South Korean university,
Computer virus experts at Sophos have identified that a new mass-mailing
worm may have a link to a university based in South Korea.
21 Oct 2004 53 arrests as Brazil cracks down on phishing Trojan authors,
Sophos comments on online bank fraud
Federal police in Brazil have announced they have arrested more than 50 people
for allegedly stealing $30 million through internet fraud.
14 Oct 2004 Sophos warns internet users of Michael Jackson home movies Trojan
horse
A Trojan horse has been posted to many internet newsgroups, pretending to
be incriminating stills from a Michael Jackson home movie.
13 Oct 2004 Microsoft warns of 22 security flaws in its software, Sophos
urges users to patch now
Microsoft has released information about 22 new flaws which affect the software
giant's products. Most of the advisories are described as "critical",
Microsoft's highest severity level, and could leave the popular Internet
Explorer web browser open to attack.
12 Oct 2004 Hackers disguise Trojan horse as sleazy David Beckham photographs,
Sophos warns users to be wary of messages posted on internet newsgroups,
purporting to contain salacious photographs of football star David Beckham.
11 Oct 2004 Alleged spyware company accused of selling 'cure' to its own
poison,
A software company has been accused of infecting computers with spyware,
and then trying to sell the cure.
11 Oct 2004 USA passes bill to jail internet spies, on anti-spyware
steps
An anti-spyware bill passed in the United States threatens internet criminals
with jail sentences.
23 Sep 2004 JPEG security problem - are you patched? Sophos advises customers
to protect their computer systems
Following the publishing on the internet of "proof of concept" code
that exploits a security vulnerability associated with JPEG image files,
Sophos recommends customers ensure their computers are patched and protected.
23 Sep 2004 Ireland bans calls to 13 countries to tackle premium rate telephone
fraud, Sophos comments
In a radical step, Irish phone users are to be blocked from calling countries
known to host premium rate fraud lines.
22 Sep 2004 Denver motorists disrupted by computer virus,
Motorists in the USA have been inconvenienced by a computer virus.
20 Sep 2004 Teen responsible for Sasser and Netsky worm attacks hired by
German security firm,
Sven Jaschan, the teenager who has admitted responsibility for the Sasser
and Netsky worms, has been hired by a German computer security firm.
16 Sep 2004 Trojan horse targets Australian online banking customers,
A Trojan horse is attempting to steal online banking details from users of
an Australian bank.
16 Sep 2004 Microsoft warns of critical JPEG image vulnerability, reports
Sophos
A new critical security vulnerability has been discovered by Microsoft which
could enable JPEG image files to launch malicious code on a user's computer.
14 Sep 2004 Chinese government report reveals computer virus and spam crisis,
Sophos comments
A report released by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security today reveals
that 87.9% of computers in the country were infected with a virus this year.
10 Sep 2004 MyDoom worm creators ask for job in anti-virus industry,
A secret message embedded in the MyDoom-V and MyDoom-U worms from their creators
asks for a job in the anti-virus industry.
9 Sep 2004 Turkish computer worm talks to infected victims,
Virus experts at Sophos have identified a computer worm which attempts to
talk to infected Windows users.
9 Sep 2004 Teenage Sasser and Netsky worm suspect charged with computer sabotage,
Sven Jaschan, the German teenager who reportedly confessed to writing the
widespread Sasser and Netsky worms has been charged by the authorities.
1 Sep 2004 Trojan horse mass-mailed to many internet users, Sophos warns
of malware menace
The BagleDl-A Trojan horse has been spammed to many internet users, and attempts
to download malicious code from over 130 websites.
27 Aug 2004 Trojan targets users of British online banks, Sophos warns of
latest phishing attack
Experts at Sophos have warned British computer users who bank online about
a series of Trojan horses that try and steal financial information.
23 Aug 2004 Is your webcam watching you? on worm that spies on
innocent computer users
Sophos warns users that the Rbot-GR worm can spy on innocent computer users
via webcams.
20 Aug 2004 Brazilian banking customers should beware of the phish!
on Trojan horses
Experts at Sophos have warned computer users about Trojan horses that try
to fool users of a number of banks into entering their account details.
18 Aug 2004 Resident Evil marketing campaign backfires as users panic about
mobile phone virus, Sophos comments
A marketing campaign to promote the latest version of the Resident Evil video
game has backfired, as mobile phone users believe they have been infected
by a virus.
16 Aug 2004 MyDoom-S poses as funny photos, Sophos warns as worm is spammed
across internet
The MyDoom-S worm presents itself as a collection of funny photographs.
11 Aug 2004 Blaster-B worm creator pleads guilty, Sophos comments
Jeffrey Lee Parson has pleaded guilty to causing damage with his Blaster-B
worm.
11 Aug 2004 Mosquito Trojan affects Symbian mobile phones,
A new Trojan horse for Symbian mobile phones can send expensive text messages
to premium rate phone numbers.
11 Aug 2004 Teenage Blaster worm suspect expected to plead guilty, Sophos
comments
Jeffrey Lee Parson, the Minnesota teenager accused of writing the Blaster-B
worm, is scheduled to appear before a federal judge in Seattle on Wednesday
11 August.
10 Aug 2004 A virus infection at what price? Sophos warns of latest Bagle
variant
Virus researchers at Sophos are warning users to beware of the latest Bagle
worm, Bagle-AQ, which burst onto the scene late yesterday.
6 Aug 2004 Sophos issues advice about Brador Pocket PC backdoor Trojan horse
Sophos has urged users of Pocket PC PDAs not to panic about the Brador backdoor
Trojan horse.
4 Aug 2004 Latest MyDoom worm uses Yahoo search engine to find email targets,
The MyDoom-Q worm uses the People Search facility of the Yahoo website to
search for additional email addresses to try and infect.
3 Aug 2004 Hackers reach new low with claims Nick Berg is alive,
on latest Trojan horse disguise
A file claiming to contain video footage showing that American captive Nick
Berg is alive and well in Iraq actually contains the Hackarmy Trojan horse.
2 Aug 2004 Microsoft issues patch against critical security holes in Internet
Explorer,
Microsoft responds to June Scob Trojan incident, and issues a critical fix
for Interet Explorer security vulnerabilities.
29 Jul 2004 70% of virus activity linked to one man, Sophos report reveals
A report published by Sophos has revealed that 70% of virus activity in the
first half of 2004 can be linked to a German teenager.
28 Jul 2004 Microsoft targeted by MyDoom-piggybacking Zindos worm,
The Zindos worm infects computers already compromised by MyDoom-O, and launches
an attack against Microsoft's website.
27 Jul 2004 MyDoom-O worm attacks Google and other internet search engines,
Millions of computer users found the Google search engine was inaccessible
for a few hours yesterday, because of the MyDoom-O worm.
26 Jul 2004 MyDoom-O computer worm spreading quickly via email,
The latest variant of the MyDoom worm is bombarding email inboxes worldwide,
reports Sophos.
26 Jul 2004 Arnie terminated? Sick Schwarzenegger suicide note leads to Trojan,
Experts at Sophos have warned computer users that a file posing as a suicide
note from Arnold Schwarzenegger is in fact infected by a malicious Trojan
horse.
23 Jul 2004 Police crack suspected online extortion ring,
Computer crime authorities in Russia and the UK have arrested three men,
suspected of running a major extortion ring accused of blackmailing online
sports betting websites. The blackmailers threatened the websites with distributed
denial of service attacks.
23 Jul 2004 Hackers disguise Trojan horse as Osama Bin Laden suicide photographs,
Experts at Sophos have warned computer users that a file posing as photographic
evidence that Osama Bin Laden has killed himself is in fact infected by the
Hackarmy Trojan horse.
21 Jul 2004 Bagle and MyDoom worms gain new family members, Sophos comments
on the W32/Bagle-AI and W32/MyDoom-N worms, which have been released
into the wild.
19 Jul 2004 Science fiction novel inspires first ever Pocket PC virus,
Virus researchers at Sophos have reported the discovery over the weekend
of the first ever virus to infect the Microsoft Pocket PC operating system.
16 Jul 2004 New Bagle worm uses old tricks to spread, says Sophos
Sophos warns of the W32/Bagle-AF worm which is spreading via email.
14 Jul 2004 If Microsoft says security holes are critical everyone should
listen, says Sophos
on the latest Microsoft Windows security vulnerabilities.
1 Jul 2004 Spanish Trojan creator receives two year jail sentence
A Spanish man is believed to be the first ever malware author to receive
a prison sentence in the country.
30 Jun 2004 Hungarian teen sentenced for distributing Magold worm, Sophos
comments
According to media reports, A Hungarian court, located in Veszprem, found
teenager László Kovács guilty of infecting computers
with the memory-resident W32/Magold-A worm.
30 Jun 2004 Finnish police charge suspected virus author, Sophos comments
Police in Finland have charged a man in connection with writing and distributing
an email-aware virus.
25 Jun 2004 Internet websites under attack? Microsoft issues advice to website
owners and internet surfers
Microsoft issues advice about Scob (also known as Download.Ject)
24 Jun 2004 Are you protected against the Korgo worm? asks Sophos
Sophos advises users who have not taken action against the Korgo family of
worms, to do so as soon as possible.
23 Jun 2004 Dial-up internet users warned of premium-rate telephone fraud.
Sophos advises users on how to protect themselves
There has been an increase in complaints of internet users who have fallen
victim to premium-rate telephone fraud.
21 Jun 2004 Korean government agencies hacked by Peep Trojan horse,
Six Korean government agencies are found to have been compromised by hackers
using the Peep Trojan horse.
18 Jun 2004 Computer virus writer: "Netsky worm made me the hero of
my class"
German teenager Sven Jaschan reveals in an interview with Stern magazine
that the worms he wrote made him more popular at school.
17 Jun 2004 Interview with a virus writer. Sasser worm suspect speaks to
Stern magazine,
Germany's Stern magazine has published an interview with Sven Jaschan, who
was arrested recently in connection with the Sasser worm.
16 Jun 2004 Customers unlikely to encounter Cabir mobile phone virus,
Sophos virus experts have advised customers about the first cell phone virus,
which runs on the Symbian operating system.
14 Jun 2004 Widespread Zafi-B computer worm calls for death penalty, says
Sophos
Experts at Sophos advise computer users about an increase in reports of the
Zafi-B worm.
11 Jun 2004 Virus infected computers send German racist spam in run-up to
European elections, reports Sophos
German internet users have been bombarded with a barrage of racist emails
in the run-up to European elections.
3 Jun 2004 Sensible security stops Korgo worm dead in its tracks,
The Korgo worm shouldn't be a problem for computer users who have applied
the Microsoft security patch first highlighted by the Sasser outbreak.
3 Jun 2004 Thousands of new reports of Netsky-P worm: 'Potter-mania' tempting
users into virus infection, says Sophos
The Netsky-P worm is still spreading widely across the internet, over two
months since it was first detected.
27 May 2004 Suspected Trojan horse author arrested in Taiwan, Sophos comments
A 30-year-old computer engineer has been arrested in Taiwan for allegedly
writing and distributing a Trojan horse which allowed hackers to steal information
from the island's government computers.
27 May 2004 Suspected author of Randex computer worm charged in Canada,
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have charged a 16-year-old youth with computer
crimes associated with the Randex worm.
19 May 2004 Cycle worm latest in a long line of political viruses, says Sophos
The Cycle worm drops a message on hard drives about the political and social
situation in Iran. But it is far from the first virus with a political message,
as .
18 May 2004 Bobax worm turns computers into spam zombies,
Virus researchers at Sophos have warned users about a new internet worm which
is capable of turning infected computers into spam factories and launchpads
for denial-of-service attacks against websites.
17 May 2004 Person who tipped off Microsoft about Sasser author also under
suspicion? Sophos comments
According to reports in the German media, the person who gave Microsoft valuable
information which lead to the arrest of Sven Jaschan, the suspected author
of the Sasser worm, may themselves be under suspicion.
17 May 2004 Many reports of multilingual Sober-G worm spreading in the wild,
says Sophos
The Sober-G worm has been reported spreading widely over the weekend, according
to reports to Sophos.
14 May 2004 German police feared Agobot suspect would abscond,
on latest developments in malware case
Police in Germany held a suspected malware writer in custody for a week as
they feared he would leave the country.
14 May 2004 Agobot worm threat forces Singapore schools to close internet
link,
All 360 of Singapore's government schools were disconnected from the internet
this week in a bid to contain the Agobot worm.
14 May 2004 Dabber worm feeds on Sasser-infected computers,
Sophos advises users about a new internet worm which hunts for computers
infected by Sasser.
13 May 2004 Police breaking open Skynet virus gang in North Germany,
Police in Germany have questioned an additional five people in connection
with the creation and distribution of the Sasser and Netsky worms.
12 May 2004 Suspected Agobot Trojan author arrested in Germany, Sophos comments
According to media reports, a 21-year-old German man was arrested and charged
under the country's computer sabotage law for creating malicious computer
code.
9 May 2004 Mystery surrounds tip-off to Microsoft about Sasser worm culprit,
Sophos comments
Mystery surrounds the identities of those who directed computer crime authorities
to the home of Sven Jaschan, the suspected author of the Sasser worm.
8 May 2004 Suspected Sasser worm author caught; could trigger more arrests,
says Sophos
An 18-year-old man has been arrested in Waffensen, near Rotenburg, North
Germany, in connection with writing and distributing the infamous Sasser
internet worm, which is estimated to have attacked tens of millions of PCs
across the world.
6 May 2004 South African government departments hit by Sasser,
25 South African government departments are said to have been hit by the
Sasser worm.
4 May 2004 The fourth anniversary of the Love Bug virus. Sophos comments
Sophos reveals that four years have passed since the Love Bug outbreak.
4 May 2004 Sasser worm hits UK's coastguard network,
The Sasser worm is reported to have disrupted IT systems at the UK's network
of coastguard control rooms.
4 May 2004 Sophos: "Sasser author is a common criminal". Microsoft
calls in the FBI as worm spreads
Microsoft is working with law enforcement agencies investigating the Sasser
outbreak.
3 May 2004 Sasser worm disrupts Taiwan's national post office, Sophos comments
The Sasser internet worm is said to have seriously affected operations at
offices of Taiwan's national post office
3 May 2004 New Netsky worm poses as a cure for Sasser,
The W32/Netsky-AC worm is posing as a cure for the widespread Sasser worm.
Sophos urges computer users to be wary.
3 May 2004 Did Sasser worm strand 300,000 train travellers?
Media reports have suggested that the Sasser worm may have resulted in 300,000
Australian train travellers being stranded.
1 May 2004 The latest news on the Sasser internet worm outbreak
Sophos issues up-to-the-minute advice to users concerned about the Sasser
internet worm outbreaks.
1 May 2004 Sasser internet worm attacks unpatched PCs, Sophos advises of
virus threat
Sophos issues advice to users concerned about the Sasser internet worm.
28 Apr 2004 Small businesses failing to tackle spam and viruses effectively,
research by Sophos reveals
A survey of almost 4000 small businesses conducted by Sophos has revealed
that firms are not taking appropriate measures to defend against the latest
spam and virus threats.
26 Apr 2004 Bagle-W worm: "I just need a friend", as
virus poses as a potential hot date
Computer users warned to be on their guard as the Bagle-W worm poses as an
email from a young woman looking for love.
26 Apr 2004 Fifth anniversary of Chernobyl computer virus attack
Sophos marks the fifth anniversary of the Chernobyl virus (also known as
CIH) attack, which paralysed computers around the world.
22 Apr 2004 "We don't need no education" - Netsky-Z worm contains
website attack payload, reports Sophos
The latest variants of Netsky launch a distributed denial-of-service attack
against a number of educational websites.
21 Apr 2004 Zafi worm displays political tirade - Sophos comments
The W32/Zafi-A worm displays a message calling for Hungarian patriotism.
15 Apr 2004 Netsky-V worm slithers without email attachment,
The Netsky-V worm exploits Microsoft security vulnerabilities in email clients
as it spreads via the internet.
13 Apr 2004 Mac OS X MP3 Trojan horse threat overhyped, says Sophos
A "proof of concept" Trojan horse for Mac OS X is not spreading
in the wild.
7 Apr 2004 Netsky-Q worm preparing to blast websites off the net,
The Netsky-Q worm is set to launch distributed denial of service attacks
against a number of websites.
6 Apr 2004 Phishers target Swiss banking customers,
Customers of a Swiss bank have been targeted by fraudsters attempting to
break into their accounts.
5 Apr 2004 Police blame virus for publishing "wanted list" on internet,
Police in Japan suspect a virus may have leaked confidential information
about investigations and suspects onto the web.
5 Apr 2004 Sober-F email worm spreading via email, users warned to be on
their guard by Sophos
The Sober-F worm spreads in both English and German language emails.
31 Mar 2004 Netsky-R latest in barrage of warring worms, Sophos comments
Sophos virus researchers are warning of a new strain of the Netsky worm,
Netsky-R, which launches denial-of-service attacks on peer-to-peer file sharing
sites, as well as various sites offering software security cracks.
26 Mar 2004 Latest Bagle worm turns PCs into card-playing zombies, Sophos
comments
Sophos is warning computer users about the latest variant of the Bagle worm
- Bagle-U (W32/Bagle-U).
24 Mar 2004 Romanian suspect appears in court in Blaster-F worm case, Sophos
comments
The trial of a Romanian man charged with spreading the W32/Blaster-F worm
is reported to have begun.
18 Mar 2004 Sophos warns of new twist in Bagle threat, as new variants emerge
New versions of the Bagle worm use a different method of infection in an
attempt to bypass anti-virus protection at the email gateway.
15 Mar 2004 Bagle worm uses graphic passwords in attempt to avoid detection,
The latest variants of the Bagle worm are using embedded images in the email
in an attempt to avoid detection. Sophos customers, however, are protected.
15 Mar 2004 Sophos silences Bagle worm's RAR. Sophos protects against Bagle
in password-encrypted RAR files
Sophos researchers have added the ability to scan inside password-encrypted
RAR files, in order to provide email gateway protection against the latest
versions of the Bagle worm.
10 Mar 2004 Has the Netsky source code been released? Were the Netsky-L and
Netsky-M worms written by a new author? Sophos comments
Sophos researchers report on the latest versions of the Netsky worm, W32/Netsky-L
and W32/Netsky-M
8 Mar 2004 Sophos warns of bilingual bogus Microsoft virus fix. Sober-D worm
poses as zipped security patch
Sophos researchers have protected customers against a worm which poses as
a virus fix from Microsoft.
5 Mar 2004 Sophos protects against Bagle worm inside password-encrypted Zip
files
Sophos researchers have added the ability to scan inside encrypted Zip files,
in order to provide email gateway protection against the Bagle worm.
3 Mar 2004 Bagle and Netsky battle for supremacy in internet skirmish, Sophos
advises
The Bagle and Netsky worms are fighting each other on innocent computer users'
desktops.
3 Mar 2004 Have "The Management" sent you the Bagle-K worm? on
latest viral disguise
The W32/Bagle-K worm adopts a number of cunning tricks to disguise itself
as an email from the recipient employee's own IT department.
3 Mar 2004 War of words: Computer worms resort to bad language as they attack
each other, Sophos comments
Sophos researchers have discovered that the Bagle-J worm contains an offensive
message for the Netsky virus.
2 Mar 2004 Did your computer beep beep beep this morning? Maybe you have
the Netsky virus, Sophos advises
The Netsky worm is designed to beep sporadically on the morning of 2 March
2004.
1 Mar 2004 Netsky-E discovered. Sophos researchers protect against another
variant of worm
Sophos anti-virus experts have issued protection against another variant
of the Netsky worm.
1 Mar 2004 Information about W32/Netsky and W32/Bagle internet worms
Sophos has provided information about how to protect against the Netsky and
Bagle email worms.
1 Mar 2004 Netsky-D worm takes the PIF, on email virus
Sophos experts warn users to beware the W32/Netsky-D worm which poses as
a PIF file.
1 Mar 2004 The world wakes up to a barrage of Bagles, on new
worm variants
Five new variants of the Bagle worm have been reported in the wild this weekend.
27 Feb 2004 Janet Jackson's Superbowl wardrobe malfunction inspires new virus,
Sophos comments
The Synapse worm poses as seedy snaps and movies of a number of female celebrities,
including Janet Jackson who caused a storm of complaints during a recent
Superbowl performance.
27 Feb 2004 Blaster worm suspect accused of launching other internet attacks,
Sophos comments
Jeffrey Lee Parson, arrested in connection with a variant of the Blaster
worm, has been accused by prosecutors of having "a long history of causing damage
over the internet".
25 Feb 2004 Netsky-C worm poses as porn, patches, hacks and cracks - Sophos
comments
sightings of a new version of the Netsky worm.
24 Feb 2004 MyDoom-F worm poised to attack Microsoft and record industry
websites, Sophos warns of increased reports
The MyDoom-F worm attacks websites belonging to Microsoft and the RIAA (Recording
Industry Association of America).
18 Feb 2004 Sophos warns of Netsky-B worm spreading widely
Sophos warns of a new worm called Netsky-B. It has already received several
reports of this worm spreading in the wild.
17 Feb 2004 New Bagle-B worm spreading, warns Sophos
Sophos warns of a new worm called Bagle-B, also known as Tanx-A. Sophos has
received several reports of this worm spreading in the wild.
16 Feb 2004 Female virus-writer, Gigabyte, arrested in Belgium, Sophos comments
A 19-year-old woman has been arrested in Belgium, suspected of being the
female virus writer Gigabyte.
13 Feb 2004 Microsoft's source code illegally published on web, Sophos comments
According to media reports, Microsoft has admitted that parts of its source
code for its Windows NT and Windows 2000 operating systems have been posted
on the internet.
12 Feb 2004 DJ's dance record inspires virus writer, Sophos comments
A DJ's dance record appears to have inspired the author of the W32/Order-A
virus.
12 Feb 2004 Nachi reborn! Worm tries to undo MyDoom damage, but no virus
is a good virus. Sophos comments
Sophos warns of the W32/Nachi-B which attempts to protect computers against
the MyDoom worm.
11 Feb 2004 "MyDoom-D" worm poses no problem for Sophos users
Sophos has advised its customers that they are already protected against
the worm some anti-virus vendors are calling MyDoom-D.
11 Feb 2004 Hacker mass attack? Serious security vulnerability found in Microsoft
Windows, Sophos comments
on a serious new security vulnerability found in versions of
Microsoft Windows.
10 Feb 2004 Doomjuice "plants evidence" on innocent computers.
Is MyDoom author trying to hide in the crowd? asks Sophos
The Doomjuice worm plants copies of the MyDoom worm's source code on affected
computers. Sophos asks if worm author is trying to hide in the crowd.
10 Feb 2004 Doomjuice worm shows that viruses don't just spread by email,
says Sophos
Sophos warns of the Doomjuice worm, which travels via a backdoor opened by
the widespread MyDoom worm.
3 Feb 2004 Microsoft issues fix to fool phishers, Sophos comments
Microsoft has issued a security patch which reportedly fixes a hole which
allowed fraudsters to spoof URLs.
2 Feb 2004 Will MyDoom-B bring down Microsoft's website? Sophos comments
Few sightings of the MyDoom-B worm suggest that Microsoft's website will
not be brought down in denial of service attack.
2 Feb 2004 Information about W32/MyDoom-A, W32/MyDoom-B and Doomjuice internet
worms
Sophos publishes useful links and information about the MyDoom worms.
2 Feb 2004 Worm wipeout: SCO website disappears as MyDoom attacks, Sophos
comments
SCO's website disappears as the MyDoom worm begins its denial of service
attack.
30 Jan 2004 MyDoom-B author beware! Microsoft is after you, Sophos comments
Microsoft offers $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and
conviction for those responsible for the W32/MyDoom-B worm.
28 Jan 2004 Sophos protects against MyDoom-B, latest variant of the MyDoom
worm
the discovery of a new variant of the MyDoom worm, set to launch
denial of service attacks against websites belonging to SCO and Microsoft
28 Jan 2004 SCO offers $250,000 for the head of MyDoom's author, Sophos comments
SCO has offered a reward for information leading to the successful arrest
and conviction of the MyDoom author.
27 Jan 2004 MyDoom worm: the latest weapon in the Linux wars? Sophos comments
Sophos asks whether the W32/MyDoom-A worm may have been written in reaction
to current controversy in the Linux community.
27 Jan 2004 MyDoom worm spreading fast, Sophos warns users to be wary of
viral email and hacker attack
Sophos advises users to be cautious of launching unsolicited email attachments,
as the W32/MyDoom-A worm spreads widely.
26 Jan 2004 "Happy Deathday" to Bagle worm on 28 January,
The Bagle-A worm is set to stop spreading on 28 January 2004. Sophos technicalk
support explains why the worm should no longer distribute itself.
26 Jan 2004 Dumaru worm poses as photo but steals online banking details.
Sophos comments
Sophos warns about the Dumaru-Y worm which poses as an emailed photograph,
whilst stealing online banking details.
19 Jan 2004 New Bagle worm spreads over internet disguised as Calculator,
warns Sophos
Sophos warns of the Bagle worm, which can allow hackers to run programs remotely
on infected computers.
16 Jan 2004 Sophos warns of new Trojan 'phishing' for cash
Sophos, a world leader in anti-virus and anti-spam protection for businesses,
warns of a new Trojan called Mmdload (Troj/Mmdload-A) which is the latest
piece of malware attempting to dupe users into disclosing their bank account
details.
13 Jan 2004 Dloader-L disguises itself as an email from Microsoft, Sophos
advises
Sophos, a world leader in anti-virus and anti-spam protection for businesses,
has warned that a new Trojan is being sent to users disguised as an email
appearing to come from Microsoft.
8
Jun 2005 Latest Mytob worms use a new trick to fool users,
New versions of the Mytob worm are emerging which spread without using an email attachment, but include a web link to the malicious code instead.
7
Jun 2005 The lion sings tonight as Trojan horse steals passwords.
The LdPinch-BD Trojan horse steals confidential information whilst displaying an animated image of a singing lion.
2
Jun 2005 Mytob worm family spreads rapidly, Sophos comments
The Mytob worms currently account for more than half of the top twenty viruses, representing 42.9% of all virus reports.
31
May 2005 London couple arrested for role in large-scale industrial espionage.
According to several media reports, Israeli police have revealed their findings of a large-scale industrial espionage scandal. A London-based couple, Michael Haephrati, 41, and his wife Ruth Brier-Haephrati, 28 were arrested last week for writing the malicious software which was used by Israeli companies to spy on their competitors.
12
May 2005 Mozilla releases new edition of Firefox web browser to fix security
holes.
11
May 2005 Hacker sentenced to 21 months jail in TKBot Trojan horse case.
A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to jail for his part in the Thr34t-Krew international hacking gang which broke into Department of Defense computers with a Trojan horse.
11
May 2005 Microsoft warns of important Windows flaw
10
May 2005 Firefox users advised to switch off Javascript after vulnerabilities
discovered.
Serious vulnerabilities have been found in the Firefox web browser, leading Mozilla to recommend users disable Javascript.
10
May 2005 Hackers resort to gorilla tactics with Wurmark-K worm.
The Wurmark-K email worm displays a picture of an albino gorilla as it infects computers.
6
May 2005 Trojan poses as "Tony Blair email account hacked!" message,
on election night hack attack.
British computer users have been warned not to click on an email which claims that Tony Blair's email account has been hacked.
3
May 2005 Sober-N World Cup worm aims to foul football fans.
21
Apr 2005 Nopir worm fights pirates by wiping MP3 music files.
The Nopir-B worm deletes MP3 and COM files from infected PCs.
21
Apr 2005
A 45-year-old man has been arrested in Cyprus, charged with using a Trojan
horse to spy on a young woman via her web cam.
20 Apr 2005 Firefox web browser updated again to patch security vulnerabilities
A new version of the Firefox web browser is reported to fix a number of serious security vulnerabilities.
19 Apr 2005 Net citizens with good intentions may be caught out by Sober-M
worm
The Sober-M worm is spreading via email, pretending to be a message from a user who has mistakenly received private messages.
13
Apr 2005 Microsoft warns of critical security flaws in its software
Microsoft issues security updates designed to patch against vulnerabilities in its software.
12
Apr 2005 Premium rate virus writer sentenced after stealing 104,000 Euros in
three days
An Italian man has been sentenced for writing the W32/Marq-A email-aware worm.
11
Apr 2005 Genotype technology defends against Mytob mass attack on multitude
of worms.
8
Apr 2005 Fake Microsoft security update website used to deliver Trojan horse
An email spammed to many internet users tries to lure them into visiting a bogus website and infecting them with a Trojan horse.
7 Apr 2005 Man arrested in connection with dating website hack and Fathers
4 Justice worms
A 37-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an attempt to hack into an online dating website. Evidence was also found that the suspect may have been responsible for the "Fathers 4 Justice" worms.
7
Apr 2005 Customers unlikely to encounter Mabir mobile phone worm.
4
Apr 2005
A 24-year-old man has been detained in connection with a phishing Trojan horse.
31
Mar 2005 Worm plays on rumours of romance between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie,
The W32/Ahker-F worm lures the unwary with promised footage of celebrities.
30
Mar 2005 Kelvir-F worm attempts to infect instant messaging users,
30
Mar 2005 Microsoft settles with Blaster-B worm author.
Microsoft settles case against with Blaster-B author, agreeing that he should spend 225 hours doing community service.
24 Mar 2005 New version of Firefox web browser fixes critical security hole,
Users of the Firefox web browser are being advised to update to protect against a critical security vulnerability.
17
Mar 2005 Massive internet bank robbery foiled, but Trojan horse menace is increasing.
A criminal hacking gang's attempt to steal money from a bank via the internet has been foiled.
15
Mar 2005 Users risk smackdown as WWE screensaver worm discovered.
The W32/Elitper-D worm disguises itself as a screensaver of professional wrestling divas, Sable and Torrie Wilson.
15 Mar 2005 Man jailed for Trojan horse which made 911 nuisance calls
A Louisiana man has been sentenced to six months in prison for infecting WebTV users with a Trojan horse that called the emergency services.
1
Mar 2005 New Bagle Trojan horse widely distributed.
28
Feb 2005 Student fined for spying on woman with webcam Trojan.
A Spanish computer science student has been fined by a Spanish court for spying on a young woman via her webcam.
25
Feb 2005 Bropia-R worm spreads via MSN Messenger instant messaging, displaying
a comical picture.
16
Feb 2005 Serbian virus has a political agenda
The Deadcode virus, which appears to be linked to a Serbian nationalist movement, is displaying a political slogan on infected computers.
14
Feb 2005 Worm attack teenager sentenced to three year's probation
A youth was sentenced on Friday 11 February to three year's probation by a US district court in connection with a computer worm that attacked Microsoft's website.
10
Feb 2005 Viruses break computers' hearts with Valentine's greetings.
Valentine's Day as many other occasions of fastivities are often target by viruses
9
Feb 2005 First Trojan to attack Microsoft anti-spyware product discovered
The BankAsh-A Trojan horse targets online banking customers, and attempts to disable the Microsoft AntiSpyware product.
3
Feb 2005 Virus disguised as Saddam Hussein death photographs
The Bobax-H worm pretends to contain photographic evidence that Saddam Hussein has been killed whilst trying to escape from custody.
2
Feb 2005 53% feel Blaster-B worm author jail sentence was not harsh enough,
reveals a poll
1 Feb 2005 The worm that gurned - email virus pulls a funny face,
A worm that displays a picture of a man gurning is designed to allow hackers to take remote control of Windows PCs.
28
Jan 2005 Blaster-B worm author sentenced to 18 months in jail - but bigger
villain remains free.
28 Jan 2005 Forbot worm uses dictionary attack to break into MySQL databases,
A new variant of the Forbot worm is attacking computers running MySQL database software.
27 Jan 2005 Mass-mailing worm suspect arrested in Spain,
A 20-year-old man has been arrested in Spain in connection with the W32/Anzae worm.
26 Jan 2005 Lawyers disagree over Blaster virus author sentencing,
Jeffrey Lee Parson, the man who created and released a version of the Blaster internet worm in August 2003, is due to be sentenced on Friday 28 January.
26
Jan 2005 Email worms spread message of support for Fathers 4 Justice campaign.
Two new mass-mailing email viruses attempt to spread a message in support of the "Fathers 4 Justice" campaign.
25 Jan 2005 Trojan steals usernames and passwords for fantasy role-playing
game.
The LegMir-Y Trojan horse steals usernames and passwords from players of a massive online role-playing game.
20
Jan 2005 A new worm poses as breaking news headlines
A worm which poses as information on the latest news stories. W32/Crowt-A takes its subject lines, message content and attachment names from headlines gathered in real-time from the CNN website.
18 Jan 2005 Webcam Trojan horse suspect detained in Spain,
A 37-year-old man is said to have been detained in Spain in connection with writing a Trojan horse that stole banking information and spied on victims via their webcam.
18 Jan 2005 Email worm tells victims it has found pornographic material
on their PCs
The Baba-C worm fools computer users into believing that pornographic adult content has been found on their PCs.
17
Jan 2005 Tsunami disaster donation plea is really a virus
The W32/VBSun-A virus spreads via email, posing as a plea for donations to help with the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster.
12
Jan 2005 Cellery worm plays Tetris as it spreads.
A new worm plays the arcade game Tetris on PCs as it tries to spread across networks.
12 Jan 2005 Microsoft warns of critical Windows security flaws.
Microsoft releases details of critical new security vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows.
11
Jan 2005 Computer worm spreads Happy Nude Year greeting.
You may think you are running a seasonal joke program, but a worm may be installing itself on your system while a picture of naked people is displayed.
11
Jan 2005 Unidentified tsunami boy chain letter clogs email systems.
A message asking if anyone can identify a young victim of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster has spread across the internet.
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As
a proof of case reasearchers at the University of Amsterdam (VU) in the Netherlands
indicated the possibility to embed a virus in a chip. (16 March 2006)
They also published the code, and critics say that this poses an extra thread as well while the code could fall in the wrong hands.
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Last Update 18 March, 2006 | For suggestions please mail the editors |