Sober Worm Jams MSN, Hotmail Servers
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By Elizabeth Millard
The Sober worm has been blamed for jamming servers at Hotmail and MSN, causing a significant disruption in e-mail traffic between the Microsoft services and Comcast's networks.
The worm is spreading as a particularly virulent variant known as Sober-Z. Security firms have been issuing warnings for the past month about this variant's potential for mass infection.
MSN and Hotmail were stalled when the worm produced an unusually high mail load, which caused widespread delays in message delivery, according to Microsoft.
The company noted that other ISPs, in addition to Comcast, might also be having difficulty in routing Hotmail and MSN traffic.
Working on It
Although Microsoft has not detailed particulars about how the stall is playing out, some bloggers have reported that they have received error messages when trying to send e-mail to Comcast subscribers with a Hotmail or MSN account.
Microsoft did state that the messages have not been lost but are merely delayed, and will eventually be delivered. Some Internet users, however, expressed doubt after receiving several messages saying the e-mail cannot be delivered.
The Sober worm was first reported two years ago, and has since undergone several mutations as worm writers have worked on refining the infection process through spam e-mails designed to take over a Windows-based computer.
Sober Era
The slowdown at MSN and Hotmail comes just days after security firm Sophos issued a report on virus and hoax activity, and put Sober-Z at the top of the list.
Microsoft's properties are far from alone in having to deal with significant problems related to Sober, noted Sophos senior technology consultant Graham Cluley.
"Businesses worldwide are struggling with this," he warned. "Part of the problem is they haven't caught the author of Sober, but also there are other virus writers using the code to make their own worms, and that's going to continue to cause headaches."
Likely, many other sites will experience the kind of stalling seen at Hotmail, as companies try to fight Sober-Z, Cluley added. According to Sophos, the worm currently accounts for one in every 13 emails sent.
Article submitted by: Webshark
Last Update: 12-06-2005
Category: Security
The Sober worm has been blamed for jamming servers at Hotmail and MSN, causing a significant disruption in e-mail traffic between the Microsoft services and Comcast's networks.
The worm is spreading as a particularly virulent variant known as Sober-Z. Security firms have been issuing warnings for the past month about this variant's potential for mass infection.
MSN and Hotmail were stalled when the worm produced an unusually high mail load, which caused widespread delays in message delivery, according to Microsoft.
The company noted that other ISPs, in addition to Comcast, might also be having difficulty in routing Hotmail and MSN traffic.
Working on It
Although Microsoft has not detailed particulars about how the stall is playing out, some bloggers have reported that they have received error messages when trying to send e-mail to Comcast subscribers with a Hotmail or MSN account.
Microsoft did state that the messages have not been lost but are merely delayed, and will eventually be delivered. Some Internet users, however, expressed doubt after receiving several messages saying the e-mail cannot be delivered.
The Sober worm was first reported two years ago, and has since undergone several mutations as worm writers have worked on refining the infection process through spam e-mails designed to take over a Windows-based computer.
Sober Era
The slowdown at MSN and Hotmail comes just days after security firm Sophos issued a report on virus and hoax activity, and put Sober-Z at the top of the list.
Microsoft's properties are far from alone in having to deal with significant problems related to Sober, noted Sophos senior technology consultant Graham Cluley.
"Businesses worldwide are struggling with this," he warned. "Part of the problem is they haven't caught the author of Sober, but also there are other virus writers using the code to make their own worms, and that's going to continue to cause headaches."
Likely, many other sites will experience the kind of stalling seen at Hotmail, as companies try to fight Sober-Z, Cluley added. According to Sophos, the worm currently accounts for one in every 13 emails sent.
Article submitted by: Webshark
Last Update: 12-06-2005
Category: Security
Current rating: 5.5 by 30 users
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