WEEKLY REPORTS Latest security updates Top 10 Threats

There is a new member in the Sober family of computer viruses. The new addition, Sober.Y, has infected so many computers in the past week that anti-virus company Panda Software raised its Global ThreatWatch meter from green to orange.

According to Panda, Sober.Y had rapidly infected computers around the world just hours after it was first discovered.

The threat spreads using two different e-mail messages to trick recipients. The first is in English with the subject of "Your new password," and convinces users to open an infected attachment in order to check the personal data related to a password change. The second is in German and claims that the attached file contains a picture of old school friends. In both cases, the e-mail attachments are actually a copy of the worm itself. If the file is run, an error message is displayed, but the worm still harvests the e-mail addresses from your computer and sends itself to them.

As usual, experts advise caution when opening e-mails from unknown senders.

Information, Prevention and Protection -- The new Sober threat
• Panda Software Definition

• Panda Software TruPrevent

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* Reading: Solutions, Prevention & Remedies
Additional summary information related to a specific type of solution or prevention that you should be considering. Depending upon the week, this section may have:
• Recent Windows security releases from Microsoft
• Recent updates to widely used anti-spyware programs
• Recent updates to widely used anti-virus programs
• Recent updates to other security programs & devices (ex: Firewalls, routers)
• Recent updates to various applications in wide use

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Read: Top Threats
These are viruses that are currently on the watch lists of major anti-virus software companies.

Name
What the threat is called. We use the name given each virus by Panda Software. Sometimes other anti-virus companies give the same threat a different name. Usually they use similar names.

Type
There are different characteristics associated with different types of threats.
• Virus - has the ability to replicate or infect computers or other programs
• Trojan Horse (or Trojan) - appear to be harmless programs when you get them. They unleash their payload when you double-click, open, or execute them.
• Phishing - a Web site or e-maill message posing as another company - usually one you know to fool you into giving the sender personal information.
• Worm - self replicates onto additional disks, computers or networks
• Spyware - installs on your system to collect information about your activity, preferences or interests
• Hoax - false messages sent by e-maill to mislead the recipient
• Backdoors - opens a security hole that allows outsiders to take control of your computer
• Dialer - uses your telephone to dial an outside number - sometimes a number that costs you money when dialed

Affects
Not all viruses affect all types of systems. Some, for example may affect only Windows 98 and 95, but not Windows XP or NT. Others affect all Windows systems, but not Macintosh. In this column, we show you the consumer systems that the threat is known to affect. We don't always include the servers that operate in your company's backroom.

Alert level
The level of awareness that anti-virus vendors suggest you need to have for each threat listed.
For each threat listed, we'll post a corresponding link here, so you can get more information to help you recognize, diagnose, prevent, and repair the problem.