W32.HLLW.Morb@mm: is a MAPI worm that replies to all the messages in your Email Inbox folder and drops the Backdoor.Sdbot Trojan into the infected system. This worm also attempts to spread itself through the KaZaA file-sharing network.. 

Subjects/Message: The subject line and message body are randomly chosen from a list that the worm carries.
Attachment: Attachment is one of the following: 

• Q349247.exe 
• information.DOC.exe 
• Saddam_Game.exe 
• I_Love_U.exe 
• NakedPics.JPG.exe 
• FreeSex.exe 
• B-ville.exe 
• StockInformation.XLS.exe 
• SecretFile.exe 
• Attachement.exe

The worm uses this icon:

to attempt to disguise itself as an ordinary zip file.

W32.HLLW.Purol is written in Microsoft Visual Basic (VB) and compressed with UPX. The VB run-time libraries must be installed for it to execute.

Systems affected are Windows 95, 98,NT, 2000, XP and Me.  Discovered April 11th

Click the link below for removal instructions and a list of  other virus threats 

If you do have an affected unit, fill in the serial number or numbers if you 
are doing more than one, and they will send a replacement unit for each one. 
 

Internet Hacker Activity Increases NEW YORK -- Malicious activity on the Internet spawned by virus writers and hackers increased significantly during the second half of last year, according to a report released by  Internet security firm Symantec Corp.  Attacks caused by "blended threats," or programs that spread like viruses while attempting hackerlike exploitation of software flaws, rose nearly 50% from their level in the last six  months of 2001 . [More]

The following article is the fifth in a series of 6 issues that lists common mistakes or "sins" people make when using the internet. 
 

Unnecessary and unrestricted web surfing

The world wide web can be a source of many things.  Which is its strength and weakness.  Where you go and what you do on the internet has a direct impact on everyone else on the network.  It can be a small problem of taking all of the bandwidth for streaming video or audio or it can be more serious such as downloading a virus.  Somewhere in between and very common is downloading “spyware”.   Spyware is software that records all of your internet movements and then sends that information back to the collection point.  This information is then used for whatever “marketing” purposes that the sponsor of the program desires.  While spyware may be harmless it does reduce the effectiveness and performance of your system.  In one case we had a client complain that their system was getting slower and slower.  We found over 170 instances of spyware running on their system. 

There are a number of studies that would suggest that ten percent or more of a person’s time could be wasted doing non-work related matters on the internet.  Depending on the sites that are visited the time spent is a drag to personal productivity, network security, and perhaps a violation of some work place regulations.  To reduce lost productivity due to “surfing the net” a network monitor can be installed between the network and the internet.  The cost of installing a network monitor can be recovered within a few months based on a reduction of wasted time on the internet.  Employers should notify their staff that their movements are being monitored before implementing such a system. 

In the May issue of the KDI Times we will talk about the sixth most common  "sin" on the Internet; Lack of adequate Security and Access Policies.

A warning of imminent malicious attacks on U.S. Web sites was issued late Monday by the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC), an interagency group that operates under the aegis of the FBI. 
The NIPC cited "credible but nonspecific information" that widespread attacks against U.S. Web sites and Internet service providers (ISPs) were planned for Monday night. The attacks, the agency said, might come from Western Europe. The warning was an alert -- the NIPC's most serious category -- reserved for threats of imminent or in-progress attacks against national networks or critical infrastructures. 
The NIPC recommended that Web site and ISP administrators monitor network traffic and report suspicious increases in bandwidth consumption to the FBI or other authorities. [More]