NEWS A virus writer has released a worm that speaks to its victims.
The Amus worm uses the Windows Speech Engine, embedded on Windows XP, to play the following message:
"How are you. I am back. My name is mister hamsi. I am seeing you. Haaaaaaaa. You must come to turkiye. I am cleaning your computer. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. 0. Gule. Gule [bye bye]."
The worm, which runs after the Windows XP boot-up music has played, deletes DLL and INI files to cause Windows to fail. It spreads automatically via an email entitled "Listen and Smile" and alters home page settings on Internet Explorer.
"It might be confusing to users because it says 'I am seeing you'," says Mikko Hypponen, director of antivirus research for F-Secure. "It's the only [worm] I have found speech on but it is not too advanced because it is written is Visual Basic."
Dan Ilett writes for ZDNet UK
Comments
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1. Gerald
Will there ever be a time when we're virus-free? I'm currently struggling with a re-infection of a school network with Sasser-B :(
2. Mark SPLINTER
when hell freezes over i expect there will be no viruses. Look at the world, wherever there is something good and useful, there is something parasitic and evil feeding off it. It's natural. Some users evolve defence mechanisms like not letting schoolchildren browse the internet on Windows.
3. Matthew Williams
Try an Apple with OSX, most OSX users don't even own AV software, just use the excellent in-built firewall on broadband connections is sufficent.
4. Lysann
It's apple-ites like Matthew Williams (not using AV software) who are just as responsible as PC users without AV software for picking up viruses and passing them on to the rest of us. Just because they can't run on a Mac doesn't mean you won't pass it on to anyone else on a trusted network, or by forwarding an e-mail yourself. A case of "I'm all right, Jack, sod the rest of you". Selfish, or what???