[tri-wings] ADMIN - Virus Alert

http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/01/09/27/010927hnnimbda.xml?0927alert

Researchers say Nimda set to propagate again

By Deborah Radcliff, Computerworld online
September 27, 2001 10:52 am PT


 RESEARCHERS HAVE DISCOVERED a third vector to the Nimda worm, which is set to 
propagate again through e-mail at 1 a.m. ET Friday.

"We rechecked the code base to Nimda, and we found a code set that is supposed 
to respread Nimda through e-mail systems starting 10
days after machines were first infected," said Oliver Friedrichs, director of 
engineering at the Attack Registry and Intelligence
Service. That service is sponsored by SecurityFocus, a business security firm 
in San Mateo, Calif.

Ten days after first infecting machines, the worm will attempt to respread 
itself through readme.exe attachments, with the same
payload as its original mail-based infection.

The impact could be significant or minute, depending on how well the IT 
community has cleaned systems and patched Microsoft IIS
(Internet Information Server) and Outlook programs. The 10-day vector will 
likely be less severe than Nimda was the first time
because more systems have been patched against the vulnerabilities, Friedrichs 
said.

But because Nimda has spread itself to so many places on computers, networked 
systems may not have been cleaned enough to prevent
widespread mailings of the virus. Therefore, Friedrichs advised IT managers to 
do the following:

-- Double-check their patches.

-- Make sure their anti-virus software blocks Nimda.

-- Block executables files at the e-mail gateway.

-- Alert users not to preview or open any attachments that say readme.exe.


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