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Shelley Souza, Optionetics.com
October 4, 2001

The computer worm Nimda has not shown a direct replay yet, but security experts say there is a fix-it solution for the worm which is itself a virus. (Nimda was launched directly after the recent terrorist attacks but has no direct connection to them, Attorney General John Ashcroft said). The fix comes as an e-mail attachment and claims to be from TrendMicro and the SecurityFocus ARIS team, according to Security Wire Digest. It tells recipients that their system has been identified as having the Nimda virus and tells recipients to “update” all systems. SecurityFocus chief technology officer Elias Levy told reporters that it “installs a Trojan [horse] called Bionet that allows someone to remotely control a computer; a keystroke logger that captures all keystrokes and e-mails them at regular intervals; and if the user is running Windows 95/98, it will also steal your Windows password file and opens all shared drives from C through Z.”

The Nimda virus, while predominantly affecting servers by taking advantage of a security flaw in Microsoft’s (MSFT) Web server software, has also traveled to private users via e-mail. In spite of starting after the month had begun, the digest said, the Nimda worm, also known as Win32.Nima.A, was the most virulent virus of the month of September. Sophos, an antivirus company, said the worm accounted for more than 70 percent of the calls that were received by their 24/7 technical support team. SirCam rated second and Magistr, which is a deadly combination of a worm and a virus that has been traveling the e-mail circuits, was listed third.

Since there is much risk of malicious intention in the air, those who use Microsoft products should make sure that their computers are protected with anti-virus software. For traders who use real-time trading programs or online accounts, protection against virii is doubly important because malicious programs like Magistr are designed to erase hard drive data; the fake fix-it Trojan horse that pretends to repair the Nimda worm is designed to steal critical personal information and deliver it to an unknown party. Norton and McAfee offer antivirus programs that can be purchased. Grisoft’s AVG is a free program available via the Web that, in addition to regular checks for known viruses, also checks for unknown virus symptoms.


Shelley Souza
Senior Writer & Trading Strategist
Optionetics.com ~ Your Options Education Site
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