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Virus Warning: "Happy New Year!" Virus on the Prowl

A new worm based virus is traveling through Email and is on its way to your inbox! Email users are called to watch out for Emails with the title: "Happy New Year!" as it may very likely be the new worm virus trying to make its way into their system. The Email comes complete with an attachment. This executable file one opened triggers the installation of varied malicious codes on the users system, and then duplicates itself by form of Email and send itself off to other users continuing its path of destruction. The worm has been sent through over 160 domains and is being transferred very rapidly.

The worm is a variation of earlier holiday viruses reported earlier this holiday season, this virus has an executable file, postcard.exe, which must be downloaded to the system inorder to be effective. Ken Dunham, director of VeriSign iDefense Intelligence Operations commented on the virus saying: "If [the attachment is] executed, malicious code variants from Tibs, Nuwar, Banwarum, and Glowa variants are installed on the computer. It then performs a mass mailing from an infected computer."

The worm works by installing two rootkits, which keep the worm protected and undetected on the system, allowing the hacker to access the system cause further damage and extract information such as the system users message traffic or even passwords. This holiday season has been jam packed with similar virus threats. Christmas_Puzzle.exe, cloaked as a Christmas-themed jigsaw puzzle and the Christmas+Blessing-4.ppt PowerPoint file have both caused much havoc for many computer users.