New "Funner" IM Virus

From Techweb:

A new worm that spreads via Microsoft's instant messaging client began badgering users Monday, several security firms said.

Dubbed Funner, the worm propagates by sending itself to all the contacts listed in the user's copy of MSN Messenger, Microsoft's IM client.

According to Symantec's alert, Funner may also try to contact a domain -- www.78p.com -- to download additional components.

Other than reproducing, Funner's main purpose seems to be to modify Windows' Hosts file on the compromised machine so that attempts to contact any of some 937 sites -- many of them Asian porn sites -- will be redirected to the IP address that matches 78p.com. That Web site, however, was offline as of mid-morning Monday.

Both Symantec and rival McAfee have labeled Funner as a low-level threat for the moment.

Posted by Michael at 08:59 AM

House Passes Spyware Bill

Looks like the government has finally gotten involve in regulating spyware. That's a good thing for us.

Companies and others that secretly install "spyware" programs on people's computers to quietly monitor their Internet activities would face hefty federal fines under a bill the House passed Tuesday.

The most egregious behaviors ascribed to the category of such software — secretly recording a person's computer keystrokes or mouse clicks — are already illegal under U.S. wiretap and consumer protection laws.

The House proposal, known as the "Spy Act," adds civil penalties over what has emerged as an extraordinary frustration for Internet users, whose infected computers often turn sluggish and perform unexpectedly.

It passed 399 to 1. That one vote came from our very own Texas representative. Gotta love that.

Posted by Michael at 11:03 AM

JPEG Flaw Exploited by AIM

As if this is a surprise, the JPEG flaw in the Windows OS is being exploited not by web pages, as most thought, but through the use of AOL Instant Messenger and possibly other chat programs.

Here's the article: Large-Scale IM Virus Attack Feared

Posted by Michael at 08:56 AM