C
I Host Monitors Computer Viruses as Pranks Become Malicious;
CEO Faulkner Gives Expert Media Analysis, Updates
[March 3, 2004]
FORT
WORTH, Texas, Mar 3, 2004 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --
"Make no mistake, the pranks and spitting contests
among the virus writers are becoming increasingly more
malicious," said Christopher Faulkner, CEO of C
I Host. "Or perhaps 'the big boys' are involved.
It seems the latest variants have a more criminal agenda,
destroying files and capturing financial information."
C I Host, a global leader in Web hosting,
Internet infrastructure and software development, today
issued warnings to consumers and businesses in the wake
of widespread infections worldwide due to permutations
of MyDoom, Bagel, Netsky and Bizex viruses.
"For the last six weeks, it has
been seemingly an 'ego thing' among virus writers, to
see who can spread fastest," Faulkner said. "But
the current strains destroy business files on hard drives
and specifically search for the names of financial institutions.
It is no longer just a nuisance. It is an escalated
threat."
Faulkner advises all computer users
to: install security software, including firewalls;
religiously update virus software and operating system
patches; and delete messages from unknown sources.
The latest generations of Bagel and
Netsky attempt to track down computers infected with
MyDoom in an attempt to disable the first virus. Also,
relatively harmless sound files have been imbedded that
play audible messages from infected computers.
However, recent variants of MyDoom destroy
spread sheets, Word documents and photo files. Bizex
-- potentially the most damaging virus ever distributed
by Instant Messaging, via ICQ -- invites users to visit
a joke Website. The site had apparently been hacked,
and set up to download the virus to visitors. Both MyDoom
and Bizex are thought to have originated in Russia.
About C I Host:
C I Host (www.cihost.com ), based in
the Dallas/Fort Worth market, is a global Web hosting
and Internet solutions provider serving 205,000 individual
consumers and businesses in 182 countries worldwide.
C I Host is headquartered from its main facility and
Network Operations Center in Bedford, Texas, and it
operates diverse data centers in Los Angeles and Chicago.
SOURCE C I Host
D. Kent Pingel, Public Relations Director
of C I Host,
+1-888-868-9931, or kentp@cihost.com |
