New version of stration worm pretends to be security patch

The latest version of the Stration worm is posing as a firewall security patch and spreading rapidly via email systems.

The Stration worm attacks a PC in a variety of ways; it turns off anti-virus applications and allows others to access the computer. In addition is downloads other malicious code from the internet as well as intalling itself in the computer's registry.

The emails don't require any user intervention to mail itself out as it downloads its own email engine. The user therefore is often unaware that this worm is sending out email messages to email addresses found on the infected computer.

To cover its tracks even further, it forges the sender's email address. Security company Sophos warns that the latest version has been aggressively distributed by its author since the early hours of Monday morning.

The new version , spreads via email using a variety of disguises, which ironically poses as a warning that the recipient's computer has been determined to be infected by a worm.

Sophos experts believe that the worm is using the disguise of a security warning to play on concern about an unpatched vulnerability in Microsoft's software.

"Many Windows users are waiting anxiously for Microsoft to fix the VML flaw in its code, which has been exploited by hackers," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos.

"It's possible that those behind the Stration worm are playing on the internet community's heightened concern over being left unprotected by Microsoft. As a result the perpetrators may be able to fool innocent users into rushing into running the malicious update.

"The lesson to learn is that you should only ever get your security patches from the vendors' official website, not from an unsolicited email."

"Anyone accessing their email [also] has to learn to resist the temptation of opening unsolicited attachments, and ensure their anti-malware protection is kept fully up-to-date."

An example of one of the messages in the infected emails is given below.

Subject line: Mail server report.

Message text:
Mail server report.

Our firewall determined the e-mails containing worm copies are being sent from your computer.

Nowadays it happens from many computers, because this is a new virus type (Network Worms).

Using the new bug in the Windows, these viruses infect the computer unnoticeably. After the penetrating into the computer the virus harvests all the e-mail addresses and sends the copies of itself to these e-mail addresses

Please install updates for worm elimination and your computer restoring.

Best regards,
Customers support service

Attached file: Update-KB7859-x86.zip which contains Update-KB7859-x86.exe