SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) --
An Internet e-mail worm that leaves a back door
on infected systems for possible future attacks spread quickly through Asia
and Europe on Monday but slowed down as U.S. companies updated their
anti-virus software, a computer security researcher said.
The Lovegate.C worm, which first appeared in Asia, sends messages to two
different e-mail addresses in Beijing once it infects a computer, said Joe
Hartmann, director of North American anti-virus research for Tokyo-based
Trend Micro Inc.
"The virus author could then connect to the infected system and do
anything he wants to, (like) steal confidential information, delete files or
run other applications on the computer," Hartmann said.
Uses address book
Once a computer user clicks on the attachment, the worm -- a
self-propagating computer virus -- spreads by sending itself to recipients
listed in an infected computer's address book, he said.
If the computer is running Microsoft Corp.'s Outlook or Outlook Express
e-mail programs the worm automatically replies to new incoming e-mails using
the same subject line as the original message.
It also spreads via shared network folders, Trend Micro said. There had
been about 10,000 infections worldwide, Hartmann said.
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