MyDoom vs Netsky

[Brian Turner]

I didn;t realise about this until I just happened to see the New Scientist article online: apparently, there's a counter virus to MyDoom doing the rounds. When it infects a user machines it apparently just wipes out all MyDoom data, and other wise leave the machine unharmed.

But as it apparently spreads in a similar manner to MyDoom, Netsky can also overload e-mail servers.

Virus wars, anyone?



Do-good computer worm is widespread nuisance

computer worm designed to undo some of the damage caused by MyDoom continues to spread quickly, experts warned on Thursday.
Netsky.b, first spotted on Wednesday, is a variant of another worm released earlier in the week. Analysis carried out by anti-virus company McAfee shows that the worm can deactivate MyDoom on infected computers by deleting the commands that switch the older virus on each time the machine boots up.

MyDoom was released on 26 January and quickly became the fastest spreading computer bug in history. Although Netsky.b has spread far less quickly, experts predict that it could still result in concentrated pockets of infection.

"Netsky.b is like a cluster bomb," says Ken Dunham, security analyst for US computer security company iDefense. "It spreads to various networks via e-mail, and then erupts on the network through shared files. Networks infected with this worm will likely experience a dramatic outbreak, while others may not see much of it at all."

Anti-virus experts also say even altruistic worms can cause major problems. Although Netsky.b does not delete files or cause other damage on an infected computer it could easily clog up a company's email server.


More: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994704