Fwd: VIRUS WARNING: New 'War Vote' Virus Deletes Computer Files

[Zeno Swijtink]

Monday September 24 3:10 PM ET

New 'War Vote' Virus Deletes Computer Files

<http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010924/tc/tech_votevirus_dc_1.html>http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010924/tc/tech_votevirus_dc_1.html

By Elinor Mills Abreu

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Security experts on Monday warned of a
brand new virus masquerading as a program that will allow people to
vote whether the United States should go to war over the deadly Sept.
11 hijacker attacks, but which deletes computer files instead.

The ``Vote Virus'' is spreading via e-mail to users of  Microsoft
Corp.'s (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) Outlook e-mail program, said Simon
Perry, vice  president of security solutions at Computer Associates
International Inc. (NYSE:CA -  news)

   The virus appears with the subject line: ``Peace between America and
Islam!'' and the body of the e-mail reads: ``Hi. Is it a war  against
America or Islam!? Let's vote to live in peace!'' Perry said.

   When the attachment entitled ``WTC.exe'' is opened, the virus
deletes all the files on the computer's hard drive and sends copies
of the e-mail to every address listed in the computer's address book,
he said.

   The virus also defaces any Web pages that are hosted by an infected
computer to read: ``America ... few days will show you what  we can
do!!! It's our turn ))) Zaker is so sorry for you.''

   The virus is believed to be the work of an opportunist and not
associated with the Sept. 11 jetliner attacks on the World Trade
Center and Pentagon (news - web sites) in which more than 6,000
people are believed to be dead or missing.

   ``There is no evidence that this is related to the people who
carried out'' the attacks, Perry said.

   ``We feel this is likely to get quite a high pickup in that a lot of
people are going to click on this,'' he said. ``If the news about
this  doesn't get out before people get their e-mails, they're at
risk.''

   SICK SENSE OF HUMOR

   Perry said he expects there will be more socially engineered viruses
created in the future that will take advantage of people's  interest
in the attacks and the subsequent political and military
repercussions.

   ``What this is a sick sense of humor,'' Perry said. ``Chances are
this is not any kind of cyber-terrorism. It's just cyber terror.''

   As many as 10 large corporate customers of Computer Associates have
been infected since the virus first appeared Monday  morning, Perry
said. Researchers do not know where it originated from but it has not
yet hit Europe and Asia, he said.

   Computer Associates is working on software that will enable its
Innoculate anti-virus software to detect the new virus and prevent
it from infecting a computer, Perry said.
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