New worm threatens files in Aust

Antivirus companies are warning of a damaging new e-mail worm, which, when activated, deletes all files on drives labelled D, E, F and G.

The new worm is not widespread yet, with MessageLabs, who call the worm W32/SfxDeth.A-MM, reporting four copies intercepted. Two of those copies originated in Australia from OptusNet addresses.

The worm, dubbed W32/Lagel.A by antivirus company Panda Software, arrives in an e-mail titled "Fwd: Crazy Illegal Sex" with an attachment called IlleGal.exe. If the file is executed, the worm creates four new files on the computer and runs a series of graphics implying the e-mail was simply a joke.

The files created are MPLAYER.EXE, which is run every time windows is started up, ILLEGAL.EXE, which contains the worm's code, MMAILS.DLL, which stores the e-mail addresses the worm obtains from the system, and SMTP.OCX, an application used to mail messages.

The body of the e-mail also contains the warning "If u have a weak heart I warn u DON'T see dis Clip". If you have a weak virus protection system, ZDNet Australia   advises you don't run executable files received in e-mails.

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Talkback 2 comments

    The warning about the virus ha ...Bob Bailey -- 06/12/02

    The warning about the virus has any body told the antivirus companies ie symnantec. The reason I ask is when I had a look at there virus libary I got nothing about it. So I can assume from that that my virus scanner will not pick up the virus ?.

    I was one of the unlucky peopl ...Steve Martinez -- 06/12/02

    I was one of the unlucky people to have received the W32/Holar.c@MM virus.

    The virus overwrote .exe, .ini, .sys, .zip, .txt and a few other select files in the root directory and c:\windows directory plus a few other select directories with a 215k message. Because all the critical files were corrupt, I was unable to load Windows ME on my Compaq computer. A startup disk allowed me to access DOS and I was able to salvage some files. Than I had to delete my entire harddrive and start from scratch.

    THIS VIRUS IS MORE DAMAGING THAN WHAT IS BEING REPORTED BY MCAFEE.

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