1-18-2009 Virus spreads quickly A computer virus that may leave
Microsoft Windows users vulnerable to digital hijacking is
spreading through companies in the U.S., Europe and Asia,
already infecting close to 9 million machines, according to a
private online security firm. Though computer bugs have become a
common affliction, Finland-based F-Secure says a virus it has
been tracking for the past several weeks has surged more rapidly
through corporate networks than anything they've seen in years.
F-Secure's chief security adviser, Patrik Runald, said the
virus's coding suggests a type of bug that alerts computer users
to bogus infections on their machines and offers to help by
selling them antivirus software. Instead, the virus is simply
spreading to little effect, though it may still pose a threat to
infected computers. "The gang behind this worm haven't used it
yet," F-Secure's chief research officer, Nikko Hypponen said by
phone. "But they could do anything they like with any of these
machines at any time." M