Anti-virus vendors report that a new instant messaging worm that targets ICQ instant messaging users is spreading around the world.
iDefense reports that the worm, Bizex.A, is a new Trojan horse that exploits several known vulnerabilities within both Microsoft`s Internet Explorer and ICQ. It arrives as instant message spam inviting the recipient to link to a Web site, www.jokeworld.com. When users click on the link, attempting to go to a humorous Web site, they are attacked by the worm.
Sophos reports that the worm monitors user activity and logs keystrokes, sending logged information via FTP to a remote server.
Ryan Price, CEO of the Y3K Group, says ICQ is one of the oldest Instant Messaging systems and has been around since the mid `90s, resulting in a large user database in SA. However, he does not see the worm as a major threat to the SA ICQ community.
Brett Myroff, CEO of local Sophos distributor Netxactics, adds that Netxactics has had no local reports of Bizex infections yet, mainly because many companies in SA block ICQ-type communications.
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