Trojan attack hits networks worldwide

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

Topics

trojan horse

NEWS
Security experts have warned that a high-level outbreak of Trojan horse programs is hitting networks around the world.

Email security company MessageLabs said it has blocked 54,000 copies of new Downloader Trojans since 02:00(BST) on Thursday.

Alex Shipp, senior antivirus technologist for MessageLabs, said: "They are pretty run of the mill — they use email subjects that have been used before. But we're detecting them from all over the place."

The emails, which contain the Trojan horse programs Downloader.ABC and .XZ, purport to be a spam report from an IT administrator. The messages request people run an attached file to prevent their email account from being shut down. MessageLabs said people could be fooled into opening the attachments, which — when run — open a backdoor on the infected computer for hackers to use.

MessageLabs said in a statement both Trojans have the same email characteristics and rated the outbreak level as "high".

The message carrying the Trojans reads:

"Your e-mail account was used to send a huge amount of unsolicited spam messages during the recent week. If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online experience and confirm the attached document so you will not run into any future problems with the online service.

"If you choose to ignore our request, you leave us no choice but to cancel your membership.

"Virtually yours, Network Administrator Team"

Talkback

HIGH ON COURAGE

The latest trend of “Trojan terrorism” affirms the bitter truth that law is always behind technology and it can catch up the culprits only if vigilance and dedication is shown. That must also be supplemented with a coherent and coordinated cooperation between various nations. The concept of “technology transfer” plays a major role in this regard. Thus, instead of transferring the “computers” to least developed and developing countries the countries must concentrate on “transfer of security measures and technologies” for the common benefit of Internet. If the developed countries will avoid transfer of “security technology” then Internet can never be safe. The “digital divide” and “technological gap” will only create various “safe harbours and heavens” for the cyber criminals that can be used as a “platform” to launch various malware attacks all over the world. Thus securing the security of one’s own nation is not the real solution but adoption of common security for the Internet is the real solution. A common “Internet security protocol” is the need of the hour that should be freely and readily available to national authorities to regulate cyber crimes and cyber terrorism.

via Facebook 8 July, 2005 08:37
Reply

Praveen Dalal. Dream on. Fighting symptoms won't change anything but changing the focus of attention.

Did it ever occur to you that insecurity was actually build in for the sole purpose of sales objectives?

We seem to live in an age where the focus is at what sells rather then what should matter. So results don't really matter, only perceptions of actual events.

Trying to resolve design flaws afterwards without changing the fundemental design might seem like a good idea to the clueless but in reality will ony get you half the results for double the money and triple the effort.

As would law, rules and regulations that isn't targeted at resolving true causes permanently.

So I again I would ask: fight causes or symptoms? Or maybe first find ways to shift focus towards causes rather then symptoms? That is, after those that have decision making powers have finally figured out what the actual causes are. So perhaps what needs to change first is who advises who.

via Facebook 8 July, 2005 23:55
Reply

GREAT WORDS

Arthur B. Insecurity is often created to encash it for own benefits but it is also a warning signal to take an immediate and emergent action. Any ignorance of a “genuine insecurity” created by an act or omission may bring catastrophic results. How will you justify the foolish insecurity shown by false sense of lack of Data Protection laws in India on the basis of just two incidences? That false insecurity has further necessitated the unnecessary and redundant changes in the Indian laws. So everything cannot be judged on golden scales and in perfect parameters.

I agree that trying to resolve design flaws afterwards without changing the fundamental design might seem like a good idea to the clueless but in reality will only get half the results for double the money and triple the effort. In short, you are pointing towards the option of “calculated precautionary measures” and reminding me of the maxim that “prevention is better than cure”.

Now the question of great importance, as rightly and importantly raised by you, is whether we should fight causes or symptoms? The answer to this question, in my personal opinion, is that we cannot fight against causes unless and until we are aware about the symptoms. Have you ever seen any doctor prescribing medicines without diagnosing the symptoms? It is always easy to tell that a person is suffering from some disease but what disease he is suffering from can only be told after the symptoms are diagnosed and then causes are remedied.

In any case, we share the common concerns of greater number of good for greater number of people, but our modes and modalities are different.

I respectfully disagree with certain of your learned observations but I will always respect your right to speech and expression.

via Facebook 9 July, 2005 17:06
Reply

Praveen Dalal. Good example to point out that in order to fight causes you first need to be aware of the symptoms. But something to keep in mind is what any good doctor already knows: whatever you do, don't make the symptoms worse. Often it's better to do nothing rather then to do something and react to unforseen results on an afterwards basis because with such an attitude things can go down hill very rapidly indeed.

Unfortunately this is not what many decision makers keep in mind when they see an oppurtunity to push thru new rules and regulations in 'the heat of the moment'. And why would they not? Negative aftermath is the 'next guy problem' anyway.

In short: while unsure about the overall impact of implementing an elaged solution research some more. Until sure the elaged solution should be viewed as a workaround and therefor be regarded as temporarely at the least.

via Facebook 12 July, 2005 00:47
Reply

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

kevinmchapman

"the very significant number of users" and "many (most) of us" - you have no evidence for these statements. It is a fact that most users are saying...

6 hours ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Marg Menzies Harrison

Another grammar faux pas is the improper use of "you". When sitting down down in a restaurant, for example, I get cringe when the waitress...

8 hours ago by Marg Menzies Harrison via Facebook on 10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid
zdnetukuser

And NOW, folks, for Canonical's next trick... Kubuntu is late. Here's a pencil. Draw your own conclusions. cf.:...

8 hours ago by zdnetukuser on Linux Minterface
Moley

@kevinmchapman. The discussion here reflects the very significant number of users who really do like the traditional menu system and who wish to...

10 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
kevinmchapman

Er, no... It is an efficient means of finding the application/file/setting you need in one place. The icons are a simply a fallback for when you...

12 hours ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
TerryRK

Isn't the provision of a text based search an admission by the developers that the mass of icons approach does not work? I don't need to use a...

13 hours ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
kevinmchapman

"Unity and GNOME 3 both abandon the old text-based cascading menus in favour of a graphical icon-driven system." Point truly missed. Both use a...

13 hours ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
TerryRK

whs001 - Thank you, I'm glad you liked the article. I absolutely agree with you on your first point. I should perhaps have made it clearer that...

14 hours ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Dennis Nilsson

If we allow corporate interest to dictate the way our government circumvents due process against foreign entities then we should accept the same...

15 hours ago by Dennis Nilsson via Facebook on ACTA stumbles in Germany
GHar123

I totally dislike pirating of works, I fear that artists will be deterred from creating works if they think that they are going to get ripped off....

16 hours ago by GHar123 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
JCB33

How dare film makers, artists or anybody that invests in creativity stop us pirating their works for free. I want to be able to walk into my local...

22 hours ago by JCB33 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
Moley

@GrueMaster. I prefer horses for courses rather than one size fits all. I, and I suspect most other computer users, do not really wish to have...

1 day ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
greycynic

The product that scares me every time I have to use it is the Office 2007 version of Excel. The first bug that I found was applying the median...

1 day ago by greycynic on Ten flawed products that derail productivity
GrueMaster

Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...

1 day ago by GrueMaster on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Frederick Wrigley

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

1 day ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
bdantas

Excellent article. One small correction, though--although a fresh installation of Linux Mint 12 will, indeed, provide the user with a version of...

1 day ago by bdantas on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

1 day ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

1 day ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Moley

For Gnome 2 die-hards, it is possible to add icons to the bottom panel (or top top panel, if you prefer) which provide the exact Gnome 2...

1 day ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
ramwellian

Your comments would seem pretty naive and immature. Your 'solution' appears to be, "gee, let's all just give in to the hackers and give them...

1 day ago by ramwellian on Cloud computing security: no more oxymoron?