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Christmas IM Worm a Nasty Present

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

December 20, 2005, 10:50 AM

IMLogic warned Tuesday that a new instant messaging worm that attempts to get users to visit an apparently harmless Santa Claus site was making the rounds of the AOL, MSN and Yahoo networks. When users visit the site, a rootkit is delivered to their computer, often named gift.com. Upon execution of the file, it attempts to shut down antivirus software and collect personal information.

Infected users will also spread the worm to people on their buddy list, as it will automatically send the URL to all contacts. IMLogic recommends that users check to make sure their antivirus software is up to date, all current security patches have been applied, and IM clients that are not up to date have been blocked from accessing the network.

Add a Comment (23 Comments)

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By Kramy

posted Dec 21, 2005 - 4:21 PM

I hate you, I hate you all.

:)

Score: 0

By maniakmx3

posted Dec 21, 2005 - 9:27 AM

"For Wincement, PC_Tool, and Drumcat"

This This virus was created using the very DRM Rootkit from Sony! OMG!! It's all SOny's fault!!! ahhh!!!!

lol!

*PS. Everything in the above statement is false, has no relvancy to this article what so ever*

Score: 0

By wincement

edited Dec 21, 2005 - 2:58 PM

"PS. Everything in the above statement is false, has no relvancy to this article what so ever"

You're right it doesn't. So why the heck did you post it? You make no sense to me whatsoever...

Score: 0

By sophist_dreams

posted Dec 20, 2005 - 9:16 PM

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night

Score: 0

By No Beer For You

posted Dec 20, 2005 - 12:17 PM

...and a happy Christmas to you too

Score: 0

By maniakmx3

edited Dec 20, 2005 - 12:34 PM

How about... "lol you're an idiot"

and a Merry Christmas to you! :D

Score: 0

By maniakmx3

posted Dec 20, 2005 - 11:34 AM

No Lawsuit? Jeesus...Sony get's sued by 15 different organizations for their rootkit, and this one is obviously worse...and no one gets in trouble...LOL Love the way the system works!

Score: 0

By wincement

edited Dec 20, 2005 - 2:29 PM

bah

forget it.

Score: 0

By maniakmx3

posted Dec 20, 2005 - 4:00 PM

C'mon Wincement...what were you gonna bash on sony about this time :P haha

Score: 0

By wincement

edited Dec 20, 2005 - 5:04 PM

*sigh*

Score: 0

By maniakmx3

posted Dec 21, 2005 - 9:23 AM

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Dec 20, 2005 - 11:44 AM

And who, exactly, would they sue?

Just out of curiosity....

Score: 0

By maniakmx3

posted Dec 20, 2005 - 11:58 AM

Well, Someone had to come up with a credit card number and user information n such to get a domain name and web host...

Score: 0

By fewt

posted Dec 20, 2005 - 12:20 PM

Right, and that wouldn't be a *STOLEN* credit card right?

LOL

Score: 0

By maniakmx3

edited Dec 20, 2005 - 12:26 PM

If the government really gave a crap. There are ways to investigate it and find out. They used to a long time ago when Virus's first became a big deal, now they just don't care because they have become so widespread. But hey, who cares about Virus's right? They just cause people like customers of my own to spend hundreds of dollars to have their infected computer repaired! Sh*t, what am I complaining about? if it wasn't for virus's and spyware I probably wouldn't have a job.

Score: 0

By maniakmx3

posted Dec 20, 2005 - 11:34 AM

lol thats cool

Score: 0

By maniakmx3

edited Dec 20, 2005 - 11:35 AM

lol no its not a virus

Score: 0

By Scary Guy

posted Dec 20, 2005 - 11:50 AM

Technically speaking you're right but it sure acts like one.

I guess it's more like a form of bacterea. The computer gets "food poisoning" or "cd poisoning" in this case from the bad CDs. It's still better than that "Mad Computer Disease" I keep reading about I guess :D

Score: 0

By maniakmx3

posted Dec 20, 2005 - 12:12 PM

lol, my replies to my origianl message "lol thats cool" and "lol no it's not a virus" is a joke, from AIM's last worm. It would conversate using phrases like that to "trick" users into download it.

Score: 0

By No Beer For You

posted Dec 20, 2005 - 12:17 PM

how about "lol you're an idiot"?

Score: 0

By maniakmx3

edited Dec 20, 2005 - 12:24 PM

....? How does reciting a phrase from the last IM worm make me an idiot? Strange...

Score: 0

By jbaltz69

posted Dec 20, 2005 - 11:48 AM

You have to know who the developer is to sue them.....

Score: 0

By maniakmx3

posted Dec 20, 2005 - 12:00 PM

I'm sure there is a way to find out....everything on the web is logged one way or another...

Score: 0

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