*Netsky-P exploits Harry Potter
hype
Next time you open a file advertised as a new Harry Potter game, it
could be the Netsky-P worm casting an evil spell on your
computer.
Virus experts at Sophos warn that while the Netsky-P
fix has been available since March, so many computers have been
infected that the worm enjoys continued success by posing as e-mail
messages and links billed as new games, videos and other
entertainment. With the theatrical release of "Harry Potter and the
Prisoner of Azkaban," the worm is targeting Potter fans eager to
play the latest games.
"Echoing a technique used in 2000 by the Pikachu worm, Netsky-P
targets young computer users by sometimes posing as content
connected with the Harry Potter books and movie franchise," said
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for the Abingdon,
U.K.-based antivirus software maker. Parents need to educate their
children on the threats of worms and viruses to ensure Potter's
popularity doesn't leave their computers open to attack, he
added.
In this case, Netsky-P disguises itself as a Harry Potter computer
game when spreading on file-sharing systems. The worm spreads via
e-mail and Internet file-sharing systems and was the second most
commonly reported virus to Sophos last month after the infamous
Sasser worm. Unlike Sasser, which infects computers without any
user interaction, the Netsky-P worm has to tempt PC users into
launching an infected file. Netsky-P has been bombarding e-mail
gateways with thousands of instances of itself in the last few
days, Cluley said
In the past, Netsky-P has also disguised itself as Britney
Spears/Eminem photos and videos, Cluley said. Another popular
disguise: Saddam Hussein.
Cluley said those who have updated protection should be safe, but
that "so many computers have already been infected it'll take a
long time to clean them up. Be careful about what you open, and if
you haven't patched already, you should do so."
Netsky-P exploits Harry Potter hype