A fast-moving computer worm attacking IT systems in the US, UK, Asia and Germany is giving rise to local alarm, but a South African anti-virus vendor has downplayed the local threat.
Eset SA, producer of the NOD32 anti-virus system, has fielded a significant number of calls from concerned local Windows users enquiring about the worm.
"Local concern appears to be fuelled by global media reports outlining the damage this worm is causing to businesses. In reality, the situation at home is not serious - the virus has not yet hit SA, nor is it quite as prevalent as users may have been led to believe," says Eset SA CEO Justin Stanford.
The worm, said to have been derived from the successful Zotob/Mytob worm, primarily affects Windows 2000 systems, typically found only in bigger companies, but can also affect some early versions of Windows XP, often used by home users.
It is able to infect only computers not protected by a firewall, which most companies already employ, thus mitigating the potential targets for the worm by a very large degree.
Stanford explains that the worm exploits a recently discovered software vulnerability in Microsoft`s Windows Plug-and-Play service - it looks for machines that are unpatched and is able to install and run itself automatically without any end-user input.
Reported symptoms include the repeated shutting down and rebooting of affected computers. Hardest hit have been offices on Capitol Hill and US media agencies, but it appears not yet to have surfaced in SA in any meaningful manner.
Despite the worm not yet showing signs of being widespread in SA or internationally, it is still advised that local users take precautionary measures and be proactive in protecting themselves, Stanford warns.
"We have been actively monitoring this worm and it has yet to surface on the local scene, so there is no need for companies or consumers to panic. However, we do advise that local users have adequate protection against all forms of malware, and install the Microsoft security patch from their Web site as soon as possible.
"A good up-to-date anti-virus program is critical, as is a firewall, particularly on a company network, where we expect to see the vast majority of infections taking place," he adds.
Despite being highly virulent, competent and based on a previously successful worm, the effects of this worm variant are mitigated as it has a limited number of potential targets worldwide, he says.
A free cleaner has been provided for download at http://www.nod32.co.za/ for users who suspect an infection or become infected by the Zotob/Mytob worm.
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