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When Malware Attacks Malware
PetManimal writes "Researchers say that the Storm Trojan/Peacomm worm has been tweaked to spread via IM programs and attack rival malware. Symantec sounded the alarm, and says that the exploit launches in AOL, Google Talk, and Yahoo Messenger windows that are already open, making it appear to be a legitimate message from a known user. The worm has modified the code from last year's Nuwar worm, and when activated, enables a DDoS attack against any site, including antispam services and servers supporting rival malware: 'Systems hijacked by Peacomm have also conducted DDoS attacks against at least five domains used by the creators of the noted Warezov (or Stration) worm. After a busy September and October, Warezov was credited by some analysts as the genesis of 2006's massive fourth-quarter spike in spam volume.'"
It just means that, in a few years, all of the malware will be significantly harder to kill. All of the weaker 'species' will have been driven to extinction (via changes in coding). It had to happen eventually. We may even see 'anti-viral resistant' strains.
'Loose' is when your pants are three sizes too big. 'Lose' is when you misuse 'loose'.
So is there going to be a screen saver that will show the good and bad malware attacking each other as the computer keeps waving a white flag?
The well known malware Internet Explorer has been attacking another well known malware WinXP for quite sometime. So why get worked about these obscure ones?
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
Thus begins the ecology of internet software. CPU cycles are simply too valuable (en masse) for one piece of malware to share with others.
Eventually, look for malware to get better and better and rooting out rival malware in order to take its place. As well, look for malware to be more cautious about consuming host resources, lest it get noticed by a user or antivirus package.
It's no different than Earthly biology. We think nothing of the colossal number of parasitic microorganisms currently hitching a ride on our metabolism. Some like E. coli are so useful that we even enthusiastically encourage (Yoplait anyone?). Symbiosis carries major advantages along the lines of "division of labor". How many years before real symbiosis is realized among internet-connected computers?
It would also evolve the antivirus landscape. The "OMG sterilize all machines!!!1!" mantra would change into a more relaxed problem: calculate the most efficient amount of CPU cycles to allocate among the competing tasks of:
That's how our bodies do it, anyway.
FATMOUSE + YOU = FATMOUSE
Only to idiots, are orders laws.
-- Henning von Tresckow
Will someone please write a worm that 1) turns Windows Update on, 2) turns the Windows Firewall on, 3) turns off the keyboard & mouse ports for Windows 3.1, 95, 98, and ME machines thus forcing the retarded end users running on these platforms to upgrade, 4) installs ClamWIN and scans the hard drive, 5) installs SpyBot Search & Destroy and scans the hard drive, and 6) administers an electric shock to the aforementioned retarded end user for not taking care of this themselves?
If your dog was running around the neighborhood barking at people and biting them, they'd make you do something about the dog. I don't see why your computer gets to the do the same thing on the internet with such impunity.
2 cents,
QueenB.
HDGary secures my bank
Hasn't norton a/v been doing exactly this for years? Malware, fighting malware? :)