[ISN] Security vendor mass-mails worm to clients

From: InfoSec News (isn@private)
Date: Fri Feb 27 2004 - 00:09:52 PST

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    http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153081
    
    By Gareth Morgan 
    [26-02-2004]
    
    Antivirus firm F-Secure has apologised for sending the Netsky.B virus
    to several thousand of its UK customers and partners via a mailing
    list.
    
    The email apology said: "Because of a human error, you may have
    received an email infected with the Netsky.B virus that was relayed
    through our external email list server and was resent to our UK
    mailing list.
    
    "The virus did not originate from our network - it was sent by an
    unknown party to the list address. If you had up-to-date antivirus
    installed, the virus has been stopped automatically already and no
    further steps are necessary on your part."
    
    Mikko Hypponen, F-Secure's director of antivirus research, said the
    mailing list was outside of the firm's normal email scanning.
    
    "There was no need for us to accept external emails being sent to the
    list. We have rectified this, and contacted the people on the list to
    warn them," he told vnunet.com.
    
    He said steps had been taken to ensure this could not happen again.
    
    The Netsky.B worm spreads itself in emails inside a .zip archive or as
    an executable attachment. It also copies itself to shared folders of
    all available drives. This allows the worm to spread through
    peer-to-peer and local networks.
    
    One recipient, who wished to remain anonymous, told vnunet.com: "It's
    not very good is it, coming from an antivirus firm? You'd expect
    better."
    
    
    
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