[pyrnet] "Peace Between America and Islam" Virus Warning

["Barb Bowes" <bamb@monmouth.com>]

From CBS.MarketWatch.com, online at:

VIRUS USES TRAGEDY TO HOOK VICTIMS

By Mike Tarsala

4:31 PM ET Sep 24, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - A new computer virus being spread to
some
spots around the Internet Monday uses the Sept. 11 air terror
tragedies
to lure victims to open infected computer files.

An e-mail going around the Internet with the name "Peace Between
America and Islam" contains a virus called win.32.vote.a@mm. A
message
seemingly from a friend or business contact invites North
American
computer users to vote on whether U.S. citizens should live in
peace
with Islam.

If computer users open the attachment, a program attempts to
delete any
anti-virus software, provide hackers remote access to infected
computers, render applications useless, then erase files stored
in the
infected computer's hard drive, according to executives from
anti-virus
software makers.

"People are clicking on this attachment, thinking they'll have a
chance to have their voices heard," said Simon Perry, vice
president of
security solutions at software maker Computer Associates (CA).

"As far as the technology goes, this virus is pretty standard,"
Perry
said. "But what's surprising is that ... it exploits people's
fears
surrounding the World Trade Center and Pentagon events. People
think
they're going to vote for or against a war."

Similar to past computer attacks, the virus can e-mail itself
from
infected computers to contacts listed in Microsoft Outlook e-mail
programs.

Affected computers will display a message that reads, "America
... few
days will show you what we can do. It's our turn >>>
ZaCkEr is
so sorry for you," said Jack Danahy, vice president of server
security
for Seattle-based WatchGuard Technologies.

Danahy said neither WatchGuard nor other security-software
companies
have been able to determine where the virus originated.

The computer virus has infected about 100 Internet sites,
according to
Danahy. Security software-maker Symantec reports that the virus
has
infected more than 1,000 individual computers.

The virus was first detected early Monday morning, Computer
Associates'
Perry said. So far, he says the virus is "not incredibly
widespread."

The infected computer file has affected computer users in North
America
only, so far. Perry says he's keeping an eye out to see if it
spreads to
customers in Europe and Asia.

Computer Associates, Symantec and other companies already have
released
a fix for the virus.