New Computer Worms Use Valentine’s Day Topic To Spread

Two new computer worms Nuwar.OL and Valentin.E were detected as announced by Panda Security on Jan. 25, 2008. Valentine’s Day is around the corner and these computer viruses use the topics of Valentine’s Day to spread via e-mail.

Be careful if you received e-mail with the subjects like “I LoveYou So Much,” “Inside My Heart” or “You … In My Dreams,” Searching for True Love,” “True Love” and attached file called “friends4u,” they are viruses. Do not click the link in the e-mail or open any attached file, it will link to a Web site that downloads the malicious code.

According to PandaLabs, “If the targeted user opens the attached file, a copy of the worm will be downloaded. The malicious code installs on the computer as a file with the .scr extension. If the user runs it, Valentin.E shows a new desktop background to trick the user, while it makes several copies of itself on the computer. Finally, the worm sends out e-mails with copies of itself from the infected computer to spread and infect more users.”

Follow the tips offered by Panda Security if you do not want to be the victim of the computer viruses:

1. Do not open any e-mails that come from unknown sources.
2. Do not click on links in e-mail messages, even if they come from reliable sources. It is better to type them in the address bar.
3. Do not open attached files that come from unknown sources. Be wary of files that claim to be Valentine’s greeting cards, romantic videos, etc.
4. Protect your computer with security software capable of detecting both known and new malware strains.