New Worm Starts Munching MSN Users

Kosmik writes "It appears that MSN has been struck by a vindictive new worm, according to security company Panda Software. The worm, acting in the vein of movies like the Ring and FearDotCom, delivers a fateful terror message and then proceeds to disable most of your protection software like anti-virus,firewalls and even your Windows control apps (TaskManager, Regedit). It distributes itself to all your MSN contacts by sending a video called 'Fantasma.'"

Comments

Re:GAIM

[CSZeus]

Seeing as Gaim is in the process of working on what they call their vv module (the v's standing for voice and video), I don't think it was as much of a security-driven choice as it was a time-driven choice. That or they've had a change of heart, whichever you deem more likely ;)

Re:Miranda

[CastrTroy]

Or you could just use GAIM for windows.

Re:GAIM

[CSZeus]

"Gaim 2.0.0 beta 2 does not include voice or video ("vv") support for any protocols. We've done some work toward vv compatibility for Google Talk, but it isn't ready for the general public yet. It is unlikely this will change for the final release of Gaim 2.0.0, but vv will be a primary focus for the next major release of Gaim after that." (emphasis mine) As per their news page circa January, 2006 (link)

GAIM is not inherently more secure...

[RingDev]

In this case the user is clicking on a hyper link in the IM Conversation which uses a web browser to download an external application. If someone on your buddy list sent you this message, it would come through with no problems. You could click the link and download the file with no problems. It could even execute it's payload while you are wrapped in your GAIM blanket of security. The only thing that it MIGHT not be able to do is to propagate itself to all of the members of your friends list.

-Rick