Viruses/Worms News

Sality.AO spreads to 15,000 computers

Friday, February 20, 2009

A virus first detected earlier this month has infected more computers and threatens to commit identity theft with newer malware features, warns a web security provider.

Salito.AO attempts to infect machines with .exe and .scr files on a user's local network and on removable drives by overwriting code in the original file.

One security official told SCMagazineus.com in an email approximately 15,000 computers in 31 countries had been infected.

The virus reportedly avoids detection by using techniques called EPO and Cavity, two features some security experts haven't seen in a few years, according to the article. Though it is more difficult to create a virus with these tools, it may assist cybercriminals in evading capture.

EPO allows part of a legitimate file to run before the virus starts while the Cavity feature inserts the virus into blank spots of the original file's code.

Security officials also told the news provider those behind the virus are using new malware features allowing them to connect to IRC channels to receive remote commands, suggesting the infected machines could turn into bots capable of administering denial-of-service attacks.