New worm poses as Microsoft patch

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0716kazaaworm.html

By Paul Roberts
IDG News Service
07/16/03

Antivirus company TruSecure is warning users about a new e-mail worm
that is beginning to spread on the Internet and over the Kazaa
peer-to-peer network.

The new worm, dubbed "Gruel" is a mass-mailing worm that masquerades
as a Windows software patch from Microsoft and as a virus removal tool
from Symantec, according to an alert from TruSecure.

Like other mass mailing worms, Gruel spreads by stealing e-mail
addresses from an infected computer's Microsoft Outlook address book
and mailing copies of itself to those addresses, the company said.

The worm deletes files from machines it infects and copies itself into
various locations, including folders used by the Kazaa file-sharing
network, enabling it to spread on that network as well, TruSecure
said.

TruSecure received word of five infections and fielded around 20 calls
from users who have received e-mail messages containing the virus,
according to Bruce Hughes, content security lab manager at TruSecure.

While the number of infections is still low, Gruel has a number of
characteristics that have allowed other worms to successfully spread
in recent months, Hughes said.

In addition to its clever use of so-called "social engineering" tricks
such as using the names of Microsoft and Symantec to fool recipients,
the coupling of mass mailing techniques and features to spread over
peer-to-peer networks makes Gruel more dangerous, Hughes said.

Unlike other worms, however, Gruel does not spread over shared folders
on local area networks, he said.

While most organizations have antivirus software that will block or
quarantine the executable attachment containing the Gruel virus, home
users without such protections will likely bear the brunt of the new
worm, Hughes said.

In the coming hours and days, infections on those home systems may
bombard corporate mail gateways with infected messages as well, Hughes
said.

The company currently has the new worm on "watch," he said.



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