Security news
Security news12 May 1999
Virus writers find new victim
Sophos identifies first Corel SCRIPT virus
Illustrators using Corel software are being threatened by the attack of a new virus. The virus is written in Corel SCRIPT, a macro programming language supported by Corel's products. Until now, Corel SCRIPT has been free from virus infection.
The virus, dubbed 'CSC/CSV-A', infects .CSC (Corel SCRIPT) files. Every time an infected script is run it looks for another victim file and infects it.
On 6 June, the virus displays part of a poem by famous writer J.R.R. Tolkien. The fantasy works of Tolkien have always been popular amongst the virus-writing counter culture.
"While this virus is more irritating than destructive, it is proof that virus writers are aggressively searching for new entry-points into the software market", said Paul Ducklin, head of research at Sophos."We can expect to see similar attacks on other relatively sheltered areas of the industry."
"Another interesting feature of this virus is the J.R.R. Tolkien poetry reference", he added. "Hobby connections in viruses may turn out to be useful to the authorities in investigating and prosecuting virus writers."
About Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises all over the world to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Sophos's network access control, endpoint, web and email solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, Sophos protects over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with its reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognized for its high level of customer satisfaction and powerful yet easy-to-use solutions, Sophos has received many industry awards, as well as positive reviews and certifications.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com
