Virus Alert! Fizzer worm spreads rapidly via email!

Question

Symantec security response discovered the W32.HLLW.Fizzer@mm worm. This is a level 3 worm and was found on 5-08-03!

Answer

This question was answered on May 13, 2003. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

W32.HLLW.Fizzer@mm is a mass-mailing worm that sends itself to contacts in the victims address book. The worm can also spread itself via the Kazaa peer to peer network. It contains a DoS attack tool, an external keylogger DLL, an HTTP server and backdoor capabilities.

The Fizzer worm is very complex and attempts to disable antivirus programs when possible. It also has the ability to update itself automatically.

The email message has the following characteristics:

Subject, Message, & Attachment: Varies, file names are randomly chosen from a list carried by the worm.

Systems affected: Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP, & Me

Get complete instruction on protection and removal from Symantec at:

<a href="http://sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.hllw.fizzer@mm.html"> http://sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.hllw.fizzer@mm.html</a>

Author

Posted by Michal of Data Doctors on May 13, 2003