Worm turns on Iraq conflict fears

Home PC users have been warned to be on the lookout for a new worm that feeds on fears over the impending invasion of Iraq.

The worm, called Ganda, appears to have been written in Sweden and promises images taken from Iraqi spy satellites.

It uses a variety of email subject lines to encourage users to open its attachment, with some exploiting latent anti-US sympathies by promising satirical screensavers ridiculing President Bush. These include:

• 'Spy pics'
• 'GO USA !!!!'
• 'G.W Bush animation'
• 'Is USA always number one?'

"At a time of international crisis it is understandable that computer users will be interested in finding out the latest news from the Middle East, and many may be tempted to share breaking news with their friends and colleagues via email," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos Anti-Virus.

"The author of this virus is exploiting interest in current affairs by deliberately presenting his virus in this way. The message to users is simple: be suspicious of all unsolicited emails."

See also:

War protestors go on hacking rampage

Ganda virus just the start, warns expert  21 Mar 2003

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