IT Observer - SOBER.S infected PCs turn spambots, FrontBridge Technologies advises

?Advertise
?Contact
?SecurityWatch

VoIP Articles - New to VoIP? VoIP Articles will help you understand what's important in VoIP.

SOBER.S infected PCs turn spambots, FrontBridge Technologies advises
Publication date: Tuesday, 10 May 2005

LONDON - May 10, 2005 - FrontBridge Technologies blocked more than 588 million instances of the SOBER.S virus on 7 May, up 186.8 per cent from 205 million instances on 2 May, indicating that computers infected by the virus are being transformed into spambots.

A spambot hijacks a computer and uses it to relay spam or virus infected email, typically without the users' knowledge.

The SOBER.S worm uses social engineering techniques to send out an email supposedly from the football association, FIFA, informing recipients they've won tickets to the FIFA World Cup in Germany. The messages are tailored to the language of the recipients based on country-level domains.

SOBER.S has contributed significantly to an email spike FrontBridge is viewing on its network because of the viruses' characteristic of sending mail to 25 to 30 recipients at a time. Typical virus email is sent to three to five recipients at a time.

FrontBridge Total Message Management identifies email with a virus payload and stops it from reaching an organisation's network. Currently more than 3,700 businesses worldwide are protected by FrontBridge.

About FrontBridge Technologies
FrontBridge delivers comprehensive Total Message Management services for email and instant message compliance, security and continuity, ensuring the safety, manageability and accessibility of all electronic communications. The service offering delivers message archiving, spam filtering, virus scanning, encrypted email, policy enforcement and disaster recovery. Services are powered globally by the only load-balanced, fully redundant data centre network. FrontBridge is based in Los Angeles, Calif., and its managed services are trusted and relied upon by more than 3,700 businesses across the globe. FrontBridge maintains the managed service industry's largest distribution partner network, including IBM, NEC, Sprint, VeriSign, Siemens Business Services, Inc., TELUS and Equant. For more information, visit us on the web at www.frontbridge.com.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Network Security

?	Understanding Security in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 in Windows XP SP2
?	Product-based Security vs. Service-based Security
?	Opinion: How Secure Are You Really?
?	Symantec, CipherTrust load up security appliances

GFI MailArchiver for Exchange - Easily archive Exchange Server mail & comply with Sarbanes Oxley - Free evaluation available.

Network Security Software - Sponsored by GFI Network Security.

Check your website security with Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner. Audit your web applications for SQL injection, cross site scripting & more. Download trial!

Wireless Security

?	The 'Virtual' Way to Better Wireless Security
?	Could Wiretap Regs Stunt Skype?
?	Wireless Wiretapping
?	McAfee readies home Wi-Fi security tool

Press Releases

?	Network Appliance Offers Strongest Security Option in the Industry With Completion of Acquisition of Decru
?	Pakistan Fighting Fraud Using Viisage Solution in Country's Electronic Passport and National ID Program
?	Tenebril Releases First Anti-Spyware Solution with Enterpise-Class Protection, Manageability and Scalability
?	ENIRA Cuts Cost and Risk of Security Breaches

:: :: ?