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

GAIM

[eldavojohn]

So I connect to the MSN network but through a nice free little app called GAIM.

My friends often try to send me files or pictures or videos through the MSN network and it doesn't work. They get annoyed and tell me to "just use MSN." I'm told that GAIM is stupid & crappy for not supporting these features.

Really makes you wonder if the people who developed gaim couldn't figure out how to make the videos/pictures stream through the chat box ... or if it was a design decision by choice to avoid hidden viruses that the codecs unpack in the media files. Probably the latter.

GAIM also works on a number of other chat networks--as chat clients should. Another thing about chat clients is that they should stick to limited functionality. There are way more secure ways to transfer files. I don't want a profile, I don't want it integrated with my operating system (married to the kernel), I don't want media streaming, I just want to chat.

Don't bloat your software.

Re:GAIM

[Krojack]

BTW the file sending does work.. Its just slow as crap because GAIM somehow can't do a client-to-client direct connect and must send the files throuh the MSN servers. This causes all file transfers to run = 5k/sec. From what i read it will never support the direct connect. I don't get it and I'm no C programmer but I think its annoying. However the other features in GAIM out weight all other reasons for using MSN MEssenger.

Re:GAIM

[cag_ii]

I just want to make sure im clear on what your point is. You are suggesting that not being able to transfer files via GAIM is a feature and not a bug?

Re:GAIM

[compro01]

Educating the public is cheaper than patching the problem.

you obviously under-estimate the difficultly of educating the average computer user.

here's a little proverb in reply "Ignorance can be cured, but stupid is forever."

So what is new already?

[nietsch]

The only certainties in life are taxes and death, but it seems that it should be ammended for windows users with virus/worm infections.

So, did you pay taxes lately?

Trillian, and regedit...

[ursabear]

A trojan/virus/etc. that disables regedit and the task manager - and monkeys with files. This is not A Good Thing.

Many corporations support MSN Messenger only. Given a choice, however, I'm very fond of Trillian Pro 3. I found the license price for Trillian to be quite reasonable, considering its flexibility, stability, and the fact that (so far, fingers crossed) it has not been subject to attacks such as this.

What are you talking about?

[SmallFurryCreature]

As far as I read it this doesn't have anything to do with "bad security" just "bad users". You have to download the code and execute it.

Lots of people complain that P2P is unsafe because it carries virusses and what not. So how come I have never been infected?

Obvious it is because of my enormous intellect that makes einstein look stupid and think that a 15mb .exe files claiming to be a movie is suspicious.

Yes granted the recent WMF crap showed us that if you use MS software any file extension is under suspiscion and the design choice by MS to hide the extension by default must rank as one of their most stupid one (then again this is ms, they make so many it is hard to determine wich one was their worsed).

But GAIM does not protect you from being stupid. Nothing does. Just that if you went through the trouble of installing GAIM on a Non-MS machine, or if you are on a MS-machine deliberatly disabled MSN and installed GAIM, then you are probably not that stupid.

It ain't GAIM that is keeping you safe, it is your brain. Trust me on this, I been around long enough to know people will do anything to get infected. Just promise them a juicy picture. We have about the same chance of stopping computer infection as we have of stepping Sexually Transmitted Diseases. When Miss Jpeg flirts with you, you don't think of using a condom. (Oh and using a condom isn't enough, deep kissing can do it too. How many of you practising safe sex make sure no fluids whatever are swapped?)

Re:What are you talking about?

[Anonymous Coward]

It ain't GAIM that is keeping you safe, it is your brain.

I haven't read TFA, since I don't IM with MSN, but the blurb says it's a worm. A worm doesn't need you to do anything whatever, it exploits a security hole in a piece of software (like MSN).

What you are talking about is a trojan. If you have to execute the code for it to propogate, infect your computer, or whatnot it's not a worm but a trojan.

Note both worms and trojans can be viruses, which are simply self-replicating and self-spreading code.

If this really is a worm and not a trojan, you wouldn't have to do anything except have the offending application open. Since the flaw is in MSN's code, GAIM would indeed save you from infection.

As to your clueless friends who say "just get MSN" tell them that they aren't the only people you IM with (whether true or not) but you have friends using AIM and Yahoo as well and you don't want seven different IM packages running all at once.

This might even get THEM to switch, making the whole internet more secure (one less buggy MS app on a clulessuser's machine).

Re:What are you talking about?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey, maybe there are other STDs in the universe than just HIV. Just putting it out there.

this is news ?

[Anonymous Coward]

from Pandas webpage

Countries affected
España 2.42
México 2.15
Perú 0.71
Chile 0.33

there are NO english speaking countries affected and the original site which hosted the file is dead (file removed i looked)
if today is AV fud promotion day you could at least try and scare us with a virus that affects English speaking countries

Re:Bonus points for character

[Anonymous Coward]

'Virii' isn't a word.

neither is 'pedantoknob,' you pedantoknob.

The title is misleading.

[cciRRus]

Should be changed to "New Worm Starts Munching MSN Messenger Users". The MSN Messenging network and MSN are two different things.