As the Storm Worm Turns, Beware of Hijacked PCs and More Spam

Symantec's Security Response blog is reporting that subtle changes in the "Storm worm," the trojan that brought us the "halloween.exe" attacks this week, is showing signs of subtle changes that, at first, make it look like it's becoming more benign. Until the experts looked a little closer:

But then they figured out this:

It's likely, they write, that it's likely to see "infection rates" continuing steadily and that "it doesn't look like it's petering out any time soon."

Keep that thought in mind when you check your email inbox, and notice the amount of spam that needs tackling. Marshall Trace, which tracks worldwide spam, is on record with this: "We estimate that up to 20 percent, perhaps more, of the total spam we see originates from the Storm botnets."

Max, who writes at BestSecurityTips.com, isn't mincing words. ". . . (T)he gang of criminals behind the Storm Trojan has used special events to draw unsuspecting users to infected websites. The sites are set up specifically to use browser exploits to infect a visitor with a copy of the botnet program. The gang has used topics ranging from the Fourth of July, the NFL season and greeting cards as hooks to lure spam recipients to the malicious sites." He says Storm Worm has unleashed botnets that now control thousands of PCs.

And the biggest greeting card season of the year is only beginning.