SCO braces for Mydoom attack
2004-02-01 15:50
Helsinki - A fast-spreading e-mail worm targetting US software manufacturer SCO is gaining ground as more and more computer users switch on infected machines, while experts say a major Mydoom attack on SCO is timed to hit at 18:09.
"It seems that the attack is showing its first effects... Yesterday I was able to connect to the SCO site, today it's impossible," Mikko Hyppoenen, of the Finnish anti-virus firm F-Secure, said.
Some experts say the Mydoom worm may be the work of pro-Linux activists, which are angry at SCO's effort at copyrighting parts of the free operating system.
F-Secure, a leading provider of security for companies' computer systems, including anti-virus software, has described Mydoom as the "fastest spreading e-mail worm in history".
Mydoom has left hundreds of thousands of computers vulnerable to hackers, spammers and other cyberspace outlaws, and its economic fallout has been estimated at $26.1bn so far, according to the British security firm mi2g.
Mydoom arrives as an e-mail attachment that sends itself out to other e-mail addresses if opened, and may allow unauthorised access to computers.
Mydoom to SCO website
Mydoom.A, the original version of the Mydoom worm first detected on January 26, is programmed to attack the SCO website at 18:09 on Sunday, most likely forcing it to crash.
F-Secure's Hyppoenen said the consequences for SCO would not be as dramatic as for companies that rely solely on their websites to conduct their business.
"It's not the end of the world (for SCO) like it would be for Amazom.com, for instance," he said, referring to the internet retail leader.
SCO said on Saturday that internet access providers had hobbled its website, fearing infection from the worm.
"There are internet service providers around the world who are blocking access to SCO," company spokesperson Blake Stowell said, adding it was because they believe they can limit exposure to the worm that way.
But he said that "bandwidth levels for accessing our website are at a normal level" as the company braced for the Mydoom attack later on Sunday.
Mydoom is expected to spread further on Sunday as hundreds of thousands of people off work for the weekend surf the internet on their home computers.
Monday will see an even greater surge as millions around the world return to their offices. - AFP
- SAPA