Security news
Security news13 February 2003
New worm touts more unauthorised Catherine Zeta-Jones snaps, reveals Sophos Anti-Virus
Sophos has today detected a new computer worm which claims to have pictures of Catherine Zeta-Jones in poses which are unlikely to have been authorised by the Hollywood star.
Users of the KaZaA file sharing system and IRC instant messaging are duped into opening a file that contains compromising pictures of Catherine Zeta-Jones and other celebrities such as Britney Spears, Shakira and Sarah Michelle Gellar. In fact, they are activating the Igloo worm (W32/Igloo-15), a backdoor Trojan horse that actually allows another computer user to take control of their PC across the internet.
"It is ironic that supposed photos of Catherine Zeta-Jones are being used to try to spread a virus at the same time that she's in the courts fighting Hello! magazine over the publication of unauthorised snaps," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos Anti-Virus. "We all know the saying that curiosity killed the cat. In this case the curious user looking for dirty pictures of celebs is likely to be one who is compromised."
Sophos has received queries from concerned customers but no actual reports of infections at present, but reminds users that a safe computing policy and up to date anti-virus software will nullify the risk of infection. Sophos recommends companies set policies about whether their users should be allowed to access KaZaA and IRC systems in the workplace.
