What’s the BIG deal?

There are a few things you need to know about computer viruses and worms. They’re both annoying, both mess with the way your computer works and both are made by people with too much free time on their hands.

Take for example attacks being made on just about every email address on the Internet. A few weeks ago the Blaster worm took hold of innocent computers in an apparent attempt to amass a spam army designed to cripple the Windows Update website (www.windowsupdate.com) — complete with a message to the Man himself, Bill Gates, embedded within its malicious code — imploring big bad Microsoft to stop selling glitchy software. Recently, the SoBig.F worm has been making the e-mail rounds. Apparently connected to the maker/s of Blaster, SoBig appeared immediately after the former ended its run and is spread via e-mail. What this worm does is send you a ton of e-mail, eventually clogging up your inbox. Don’t be surprised if you get 80+ message attachments from people you don’t know (and do). SoBig hacks into your PC and Outlook Express address book (if you’re using it as an e-mail client) and sends out unsolicited e-mail to everyone listed there. The infected messages contain a file attachment which, when opened, makes itself comfortable in your PC doing God-know’s-what to your system.

Therein lies the catch: aside from the initial threat of address book infiltration, no one really knows what this particular worm is supposed to do to your Windows OS. But if Blaster is any indication, SoBig is set to create another spam army out to attack another software institution. When, where and how, my guess is as good as yours.

One thing of note, SoBig has a built-in shut-off date on September 10 of this year. Meaning, it will simply de-activate itself. But the significance of the date on the next day, September 11, is too hard to ignore. What will happen on that day? Will 9/11 see another attack?

The Early Bird Catches The Worm

It sounds like a plot straight out of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers movie, complete with a final stand at Helm’s Deep. For those looking to use virtual swords in the fight against SoBig, fire up that Internet and mouse on over to http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter and look for the site’s free SoBig removal tool. It searches your Windows OS for the worm and gets rid of it. Just make sure you follow Symantec’s instructions to a tee.

What is a worm anyway? For fellow geeks out there (not counting a few Sci-Fi fans who apparently think they’re the only geeks on the planet. It’s a very long story involving a local Sci-Fi fan club, the illiteracy of about five of its members and a past article. Note I only said "a few" of the members, not all. But I digress), worms are programs that spread themselves from one computer to another. In actuality, worms were first used for good, cleaning up printer cheques and helping air traffic controllers.

It was at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center in the 1980s that worm programs were experimented with further. One of the worm programs went nuts and researchers developed a "vaccine" to remedy the problem. This program fix became the very first antivirus software.

The Hit List

Another preventive measure is to delete suspect e-mail. Be wary of messages containing these subject heads (from www.TechTv.com):

• Thank you!

• Your details

• Re: Details

• Re: Approved

• Re: Re: My details

• Re: Thank you!

• Re: That movie

• Re: wicked screensaver

At the same time, do not download file attachments which are named exactly or somewhat like the above subject heads. If so, you’re in for a world of hurt (and an inbox bursting at the seams).

Nobody knows who started these attacks, when it will end and what will happen on September 11, ten days from now. So far, Macintosh and Linux operating systems appear safe, for now. Whether the virus writer has a major beef with Microsoft remains to be seen but one thing is sure. A message is being sent to the Powers That Be. Clean up your programming, or else.