Following the disclosure that digital photo frames sold over the holiday season carried a virus, users are being reminded of the importance of computer security, says Brett Myroff, CEO of Sophos distributor Netxactics.
"Best Buy's Insignia NS-DPF10A digital photo frames, which connect to PCs via USB, were contaminated with a computer virus during the manufacturing process, according to a notice posted on the company's Web site."
Myroff adds: "The good news is the virus, which has made its way onto some of the digital photo frames, has been around for some years, and just about every anti-virus product should have no difficulty in intercepting the infection. Technology producers must not lose sight of data security, and be careful that malware doesn't creep onto their devices at manufacture."
Traffic jam
Sophos also identified a trend of spam e-mail traffic peaking in accordance with time zones across the world. "Spam e-mails luring unsuspecting users to infection by the Storm (or Dorf) Trojan accounted for 4% of total e-mail traffic in January, with peaks in traffic occurring three times in any 24-hour period as computers in Beijing, London and New York come online.
"The spam e-mails that spread the malware are tailored to grab your attention by referring to timely events such as Valentine's Day or breaking news stories," Myroff explains.
"The large number of compromised PCs in Asia, Europe and USA will kick-start a new barrage of malicious spam, as they are turned on at approximately 10am each morning."
Malware reproduction
Low-to-medium threats that have been reported this week include the Troj/BatVfun-A Trojan, which is affecting Windows users. Troj/Outpost-A, a spyware Trojan, has also been noted. It is affecting the Windows OS and steals information, reducing system security.
The W32/Bckdr-QLL worm is also spreading via removable storage devices and affects Windows, he says. It allows others to access the computer and installs itself in the registry. W32/Bckdr-QLL also occurs as W32/Trojan.BXQI, W32/Generic.worm.f and Virus.Win32.AutoRun.cd.
W32/Bckdr-QLL is a worm with backdoor functionality, which allows a remote intruder to gain access and control over the computer. It also includes functionality to send notification messages to remote locations, Myroff explains.
The W32/Glupzy-B worm spreads in the same manner, and installs itself in the registry. Its aliases include Trojan.Win32.Disabler.i, BackDoor-DIY Trojan and WORM_FLASHY.B.
The Troj/Zlob-AIA Trojan, also know as Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Zlob.gsa, has also been identified and includes functionality to access the Internet and communicate with a remote server via HTTP.
"While malware continues to proliferate, not only do computers need to be protected, they also need to be properly defended to make sure they are not responsible for sending spam in the first place. Storm, for example, is an evolving problem for businesses, computer users and service providers around the world, who all need to act now in order to curb its spread," concludes Myroff.
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