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Topic: Warning! Yahoo e-mail Under Worm Attack! |
Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 13 Jun 2006 7:46 am |
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Symantec warns of mass-mail worm that exploits a vulnerability in Yahoo's Web e-mail
A mass-mail worm that exploits a vulnerability in Yahoo's Web e-mail is making the rounds, security vendor Symantec said Monday.
The worm, which Symantec calls JS.Yamanner@m, is different from others in that a user merely has to open the e-mail to cause it to run, said Kevin Hogan, senior manager for Symantec Security Response. Mass-mail worms have usually been contained in an attachment with an e-mail note encouraging a user to open it.
The worm, written in JavaScript, takes advantage of a vulnerability that allows scripts embedded in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) e-mail to run in the users' browsers. Yahoo users should be able to modify their settings to block the zero-day exploit, Hogan said.
Symantec rated the worm a Level 2 threat, one notch above its least harmful ranking. Hogan said the worm did not appear to be spreading widely, and he did not anticipate the threat level rising.
When activated, the worms then sends itself to other users in the victim's address book who also use Yahoo e-mail with the suffixes of @yahoo.com or @yahoogroups.com. The worm mimics a function within Yahoo's Web mail called "Quickbuilder," which allows a user to add contacts in an address book from received e-mail, Hogan said. The process, however, is transparent to the victim, he said.
The harvested e-mail addresses are sent to a remote server. Users of Yahoo Mail Beta do not appear to be affected, Symantec said.
The worm also opens a browser that displays a Web page that does not appear to contain malicious content.
Although Yahoo's Web e-mail has not been fixed, users are advised to update virus and firewall definitions and block any e-mail sent from av3@yahoo.com. The subject line of the e-mail with the worm says "New Graphic Site," and the body says "this is test."
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Bob "Wiz" Feinberg
Moderator of the SGF Computers Forum
Visit my Wiztunes Steel Guitar website at: http://www.wiztunes.com/
or my computer troubleshooting website: Wizcrafts Computer Services,
or my Webmaster Services webpage.
Learn about current computer virus and security threats here.
Read Wiz's Blog for security news and update notices
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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mickd
From:
london,england
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Posted 13 Jun 2006 1:59 pm
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Wiz
I always thought one of the pluses of Yahoo mail was that it was browser-based (no need to use Outlook - notorious vehicle for viruses etc). Did I get that wrong ? Is a local pukka email client actually safer ?
Mick |
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 13 Jun 2006 3:53 pm
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Mick;
A real email client is neither more nor less secure than browser based email, unless steps are taken to make it secure. Browser-based email is only as secure as your browser's security settings. Email programs usually have their own configuable security settings. I know how to lock down Outlook Express, don't browse with Internet Explorer and don't use my Firefox browser to do email.
This is a subject unto itself. I have written about setting up security in Outlook Express on my Blog.
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Bob "Wiz" Feinberg
Moderator of the SGF Computers Forum
Visit my Wiztunes Steel Guitar website at: http://www.wiztunes.com/
or my computer troubleshooting website: Wizcrafts Computer Services,
or my Webmaster Services webpage.
Learn about current computer virus and security threats here.
Read Wiz's Blog for security news and update notices
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mickd
From:
london,england
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Posted 14 Jun 2006 1:41 pm
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Thanks - point taken.
Would I lose the automatic Yahoo virus check on attachments if I went from being browser-based to client-based ?[This message was edited by mickd on 14 June 2006 at 02:42 PM.] |
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 15 Jun 2006 6:47 am
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Mick queried my positronic net with:
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| Would I lose the automatic Yahoo virus check on attachments if I went from being browser-based to client-based ? |
The Yahoo virus scanner runs at the email server level, on incoming and outgoing email, so you won't lose that protection, as such, for what it is worth. You should not be trusting the security of your entire operating system to any external solution, like Yahoo email virus scanning. If you aren't already using a personal anti-virus program you are playing Russian Roulette with viruses and other malware. There are free programs available from AVG and Avast, so there is no excuse for not having an up-to-date A/V program on every computer.
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Bob "Wiz" Feinberg
Moderator of the SGF Computers Forum
Visit my Wiztunes Steel Guitar website at: http://www.wiztunes.com/
or my computer troubleshooting website: Wizcrafts Computer Services,
or my Webmaster Services webpage.
Learn about current computer virus and security threats here.
Read Wiz's Blog for security news and update notices
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mickd
From:
london,england
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Posted 15 Jun 2006 1:59 pm
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Wiz
I already run AVG (have done for a long while now) but it's reassuring to have belt and braces  . I have just downloaded Ypops and will give it a try..
Mick[This message was edited by mickd on 15 June 2006 at 03:05 PM.] |
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