'My Party' Worm Spreading

A new E-mail worm is spreading quickly across the globe. Structurally similar to the Nimda and Sircam viruses, this bug is tricking users into infecting themselves by posing as a Web link.

The W32.Myparty@mm worm arrives as an E-mail message, with the subject line "new photos from my party!" In the body of the message, it carries what appears to be a link to Web portal Yahoo, but which in fact is an executable file. Upon clicking the link, the virus infects the computer. After the computer is infected, the worm sends itself to all addresses in the user's copy of Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, or in his Windows Address Book. Computers running Windows NT, 2000, or XP are also infected with a spy program, which can allow the machine to be remotely controlled.

Antivirus companies Symantec, Trend Micro, and McAffee have all rated the worm a "medium" threat. Patches to remove or inoculate your system against the bug are available for download.