Protect your computer from the new virus "Beagle"
By Nowshade Kabir ©Rusbiz.com
If you received an email from somebody you know with the subject “hi” and the
word test in the message body recently, welcome to the never ending world of computer
viruses. You have just encountered the first virus unleashed in this year. The
virus is named as “Beagle” or “Bagle” and spreading rapidly all over the world.
Users in the United Stated will see the real outbreak on Tuesday, January 20,
2004 as on Monday US was closed in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
The attached to the email .exe file with a random name, which uses the same
icon as the Windows calculator, is the culprit! Once executed it runs an email
harvesting program, which searches for emails in every single file on your computer
and the computers connected to yours via internal network. The codes of the
worm also contain invisible email proxy server program, which allows your computer
to be put into action as a spam relay center. When opened the attached exe file,
it runs the Windows calculator in an attempt to confuse the user.
The body of the virus email looks as follows:
Test =)
(string of random characters)
--
Test, yep.
It appears the worm is also programmed to send details about all infected computers
to website addresses in Germany. Although till now these sites are not yet set
up on the Internet.
The harvested emails will most certainly be used for spamming and selling to
other spammers. This suggests that the Beagle virus is a creation of email spammers.
Similar to Sobig virus, this one too embedded with an expiry date. The virus
is set to deactivate on 28 January. Many experts believe this means a more virulent
version may come out after this date.
Network Associates has raised its alert rating for the program from "low"
to "medium" because an increasing number of personal computers are
becoming infected. After severe virus attacks of last year most of the companies
have updated and protected themselves from this type of viruses. However, home
users are at risk, as many still did not install any kind of antivirus software
or do not update them regularly.
Computer virus attacks cost global businesses an estimated US$55 billion in
damages in 2003. Companies lost roughly US$20 billion to US$30 billion in 2002
from the virus attacks, up from about US$13 billion in 2001, according to various
industry estimates.
It looks like financial harm caused by various virus attacks will increase
significantly in 2004.
Here are some tips to protect your computer from Beagle and other viruses:
Be vigilant
Don’t ever open an email that looks suspicious! The success of viruses that
spread through emails totally depends on the ignorance and curiosity of unsuspected
users.
Update Windows
Download the latest security patches for the version of Windows you use and
install them.
Install Antivirus Software
If you still don’t have an Antivirus Software, install one! It’s worth the money
spent!
Update your Antivirus Software
Antivirus Software companies constantly add new modules to their software in
order to enhance abilities. You must update your software to ensure that you
have the latest version capable of fighting the new virus unleashed.
If you feel that your computer is already infected, find the file bbeagle.exe
on your computer. The file disguises itself with Microsoft calculator icon.
Delete the file immediately!
