A new virus warning, watch what you open.
Hackers Hijack Christmas
Computer hackers have hijacked the spirit of Yuletide by introducing a new virus that masquerades as a Christmas card.
The Zafi.d worm appears as an attachment in the guise of Christmas card. Once it's opened an error message is displayed instead of a card.
The worm uses a Trojan horse program to open a back door that allows hackers to take remote control of infected machines. Zafi.d has been most prominent on the Continent with reports coming from Spain, Germany and Italy.
The virus sends itself to every email in the recipient's contacts folder and has the ability to do so in multiple languages - i.e. addresses ending in .es will be in Spanish.
A spokesman for AOL's anti-virus partner McAfee said: "If users think they may be infected and are unsure how to check their systems, they can download a tool from to scan their system and remove the virus if present."
''Despite its disguise, Zafi.d isn't much of a Christmas present,'' warns Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, a US anti-virus and anti-spam company.
''Users who open the attached file will trigger the virus into action, infecting their PC and potentially opening it up to hacker attack.
''Heartless hackers and virus writers can attack at any time of year, and every computer user should be on the lookout for unusual emails and be wary of ever opening any unsolicited file they are sent via email,'' adds Cluley.
Copied from AOL NEWS. .2004
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Casanova and Drunk of this Parish.
