SAN FRANCISCO ? On the day search engine Google launched its own me too Instant Messenger, security experts warned a new MSN Messenger worm, dubbed Kelvir HI, is tailoring its attack message to the compromised system ? in English, Dutch, French, German and other languages, as it hunts for new victims.
When it hits an English system, the worm sends out the following message: “haha i found your picture!” The message is sent to everybody on a user’s contacts list. The message includes a Web link that when clicked on will download malicious software that installs a backdoor and furthers the spread of the worm.
The worm is a variant of the Kelvir pest that first surfaced in February. To date, there have been 103 variants of Kelvir, according to IM security company Akonix.
The worm spreads via Microsoft’s MSN Messenger instant-messaging service and affects computers running Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP, according to a Symantec advisory.
The multilingual Kelvir is a sign that virus developers are getting more inventive and more global in terms of their target market, a spokesman for Akonix told CNET.Com. “They go after not only English speakers, but also other languages. I think we will definitely see more worms that cast a wider net.”
Threats to instant messaging and peer-to-peer systems are on the rise, Akonix said. The threats are not only more frequent, but attackers are increasingly morphing their software to circumvent security measures, the company said.
Meanwhile, Google launched an instant-messaging program that allows text chat and computer-to-computer voice connections, a move that highlights the search giant’s increasing competition with Yahoo, Microsoft and America Online.
