An e-mail virus that is believed to have originated in Japan has been propagating around the Internet on Thursday morning, infecting thousands of computers.

The FBound-C virus is very similar to the FBound-A and FBound-B viruses, said Alex Shipp, senior antivirus technologist at e-mail outsourcing firm Messagelabs, which operates a virus scanning service for its customers. "It's just different enough to get past signature scanners," he told ZDNet UK.

However, Shipp added, antivirus companies are updating their signature files, and the fact that the virus was first discovered at 2:00 a.m. GMT means that companies and individuals in Europe, Africa and America should have time to update their software. "So although we've seen lot of copies this morning, we expect to see it nipped in the bud," said Shipp.

Antivirus firms say the virus is likely to have originated in Japan, or at least seems to be targeting Japanese users. "We started seeing it arrive from the Asia Pacific region," said Shipp. "First Japan, then China and Hong Kong."

Graham Cluley of antivirus company Sophos agreed. "Most viruses are monolingual," said Cluley. "This can make people less likely to open them. If you receive a virus from Belgium with a Belgian subject line, you're going to be more suspicious." FBound.C, said Cluley, was written in such a way that if it believes the recipient is in Japan it adds a Japanese subject line. Otherwise, the subject line says in English: "Important".

The virus is contained in an attachment called patch.exe, presumably designed to make people click on it believing that it is a software patch, said Cluley. "They're exploiting people's paranoia," he said. "But people really should have learnt by now not to click on email attachments. They should go to software companies for patches."

Shipp noted that the virus does not rate highly in the social engineering stakes, "but it seems to be doing quite well anyway." Within eight hours of first detecting the virus, Messagelabs had caught more than 2,000 copies. This indicates that the virus is spreading faster than the recent Myparty virus.

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Mass mailing worms are perhaps the most frustrating types of malicious software to deal with. Not only are they almost impossible detect, but they affect your computer and the computers on your email contact list. Most high-quality anti-spyware and anti-virus software will get rid of the mass mailing worm. With most worms, running this software is the only answer

Instructions

Remove the worm with the native software on a Microsoft computer, the Malicious Software Removal Tool. Download the software from the Microsoft website or from your routine Microsoft Update. Run the program. Malicious Software Removal Tool automatically scans and removes harmful software.

Delete the worm with free anti-virus software that can be downloaded from the Internet, such as AVG or Avast! Download the software to your computer, run a full system scan and remove the malicious content detected on your computer.

Download Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) or the Windows Defender program. These programs are free for licensed Microsoft users. Windows Daily News notes that MSE has been shown to detect and delete viruses as well as most popular commercial products.

Purchase anti-virus software such as Norton AntiVirus, McAfee VirusScan, eTrust Antivirus or Panda Titanium. Download the software to your computer.

Run a full system scan during which the software will detect worms, spyware and other viruses. When asked whether you would like to quarantine or delete worms, choose to delete all permanently.

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What Is a Trojan Horse Virus?


Like the legendary Greek weapon, a Trojan Horse computer virus sneaks in under the radar to wreak havoc on a system or network. According to Tech FAQ, "This is a type of virus that attempts to make the user think that it is a beneficial application...once executed or installed in the system, this type of virus will start infecting other files in the computer." From that point, it's a tough battle to isolate the virus. By the time the user finds out that something is wrong (usually through sluggish performance or odd pop-up windows), the virus may have already transmitted private information like credit card numbers, passwords and account information. An untended infestation will likely result in a crash of the operating system.

How Do Computers Get Trojan Horses?

Most trojans are introduced through careless downloading: email or instant messenger attachments and peer-to-peer files are common culprits. The user clicks on a file, not noting that it has an .exe or other executable file suffix. The program loads and takes root, slowly weeding through the operating system and software. Some trojans are so advanced that they can tap into an address book, email each person, and attach itself to the outgoing mail.

Trojans can also transmit through networks, especially ones that don't have effective firewall or anti-virus protection. If one trojan is opened from several terminals, the infestation can quickly spread to servers and critical files. From there, thieves can remotely download client credit card information. Several security breaches with thousands of compromised names have made headlines in the last few years alone.

How Can People Fight Trojan Horse Viruses?

The best way to prevent a Trojan Horse Virus from entering and infecting your computer is to never open email attachments or files that have been sent by unknown senders," Tech FAQ advises. TR Brown of Security Pro News suggests always keeping anti-virus software up to date, installing a trusted firewall and staying away from downloads from unknown sites. Also pay attention to clicking links from Google and other search engines; they'll often report suspicious or potentially dangerous content near the link. Trojans are nasty characters, but they're easy to avoid if you utilize the right tools.


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Back when your computer was shiny and new, it likely came with pre-installed Norton or McAfee antivirus software. It would periodically pop up little notices that it had downloaded the latest updates, and you felt snug and secure when you surfed online.

Then that trial membership expired. You may not have even noticed the lapse in coverage, assuming that the icon in your toolbar was a sign that all was well -- or, like many, you may have been wary to spend your hard-earned cash to subscribe. This story is so common that it's one reason why Panda Security reported in January that approximately 50 percent of the world's computers are compromised by some form of malware.

While I fondly remember the days when viruses were primarily built to annoy their victims, today's viruses are far more dangerous. Infected computers attack other computers. Hackers use these vast networks of infected computers or "botnets" to send spam, break websites and infiltrate corporate networks to steal credit-card data and customer information. Before you decide to unplug your computer, rest assured that there are some easy ways to protect yourself.

If you're already running an anti-virus program and making sure that it is up to date, kudos! If you elected to shell out the dough to keep your Norton or McAfee running after the trial ended, keep in mind that these two programs dominate the consumer security space. This makes them the biggest targets for hackers and virus writers who study their code to find vulnerabilities. While I am not suggesting that you look for an unknown, untested antivirus for your computer's safety, there may be good reason to consider switching to one of the great free anti-virus options available.

One of my favorite anti-virus programs for the basic user is Microsoft Security Essentials. It's free, easy to use, updated frequently and provides great protection from most Internet-born parasites. The fact that it's made by Microsoft, the company that makes Windows, is a great benefit. Who is better equipped to know which Windows vulnerabilities hackers are targeting? Programers can then integrate the fix seamlessly into Windows.

If you just can't get past the idea of trusting Microsoft to protect your Windows PC, or if you are running an alternate operating system, consider avast! free antivirus (www.avast.com). It's one of the highest-rated antivirus programs, according to AV Comparatives, an independent antivirus program reviewer. Avast offers both a free and a paid version, and boasts one of the fastest virus scans on the market.

It also uses fewer system resources when scanning, so you can continue to use your computer normally while the scan runs in the background. Anyone who has been held hostage by a seemingly endless scan that makes everything else on your system slow to a useless crawl can appreciate this benefit. Fun side note: You can select different voices to proclaim, "Ding! Virus definitions have been updated." I am quite partial to Pirate.

Finally, if compromised or lost data would devastate your productivity, check out Sandboxie. This application allows you to run certain programs "virtually," like putting them in quarantine. Essentially, you open your web browser or email in a "sandbox," so an infected website or virus-laced email attachment won't compromise the rest of your system. When you close the program, you destroy the sandbox's contents, including any infections. However, cookies and temp files go, too, so if you like to auto-login to websites you frequent, this solution will likely annoy you.

News Source: http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/62653