New computer virus causes havoc

Status
Not open for further replies.

Nico@FMA

Level 27
Thread author
Verified
May 11, 2013
1,687
A powerful new computer virus was today causing havoc with e-mail systems across the world.

Experts described the virus, called Goner, as one of the fastest-spreading they had yet seen and warned computer users to immediately delete it if they received it.

Alex Shipp, spokesman for anti-virus service MessageLabs, said: "It's spreading with tremendous speed and thousands of users in Britain have already been sent it.

"The virus mass mails itself out through e-mail and attempts to destroy anti-virus software on computers, which could prove extremely problematic for those unfortunate enough to receive it."

The infected e-mail has the word "Hi" as its subject and body text which reads "When I saw this screen saver, I immediately thought about you. I am in a harry (sic), I promise you will love it." Its attachment is labelled "gone.scr."

It was first detected this morning in the US but experts believe it was created in Europe.

The US, the UK and France are the worst hit of the 17 countries affected so far.

Mr Shipp said: "We had a handful of reports this morning but at mid-afternoon in the UK it went mad. We have had about 30,000 reports and the figure is rising."

A criminal investigation has now been launched in an effort to track down the person responsible for the virus.

Previous viruses, such as Love Bug, Code Red and the Nimda Worm caused problems for millions of computer users across the world.
 

Cain

Level 4
Verified
Dec 19, 2013
171
any executable attached to an email is not likely to be friendly, and a big risk to open. I'm surprised that it hasn't been filtered out by more mail systems, I thought most executable attachments were dropped at the server as a standard by now. Guess it shows how many still only look for .exe's ...Thanks n.nvt, at least we know what to look out for.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cats-4_Owners-2

Cats-4_Owners-2

Level 39
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Well-known
Dec 4, 2013
2,800
Thanks for raising the lantern, Nico, by alerting us quickly.:cool: Although I'll be on the look out, I wanted to ask if the email itself is equally a threat:mad: as is it's hazardous:eek: attachment?
 

Viking

Level 26
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Well-known
Oct 2, 2011
1,531
Just wondering how effective are the password settings in vaious AV's that are meant to block malware
from ininstalling or turning off your AV, which Goner can do?

eg:
P5bSIZpl.png
 

Nico@FMA

Level 27
Thread author
Verified
May 11, 2013
1,687
Just wondering how effective are the password settings in vaious AV's that are meant to block malware
from ininstalling or turning off your AV, which Goner can do?

eg:
P5bSIZpl.png
I actually do not know but i assume yes.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

About us

  • MalwareTips is a community-driven platform providing the latest information and resources on malware and cyber threats. Our team of experienced professionals and passionate volunteers work to keep the internet safe and secure. We provide accurate, up-to-date information and strive to build a strong and supportive community dedicated to cybersecurity.

User Menu

Follow us

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to know first about the latest cybersecurity incidents and malware threats.

Top