The worm does not rely on e-mail messages to spread. The worm exploits machines by sending an improperly formatted RPC (remote procedure call) message to vulnerable systems, causing a buffer overflow on the machines that enables the worm code to spread.
After infecting vulnerable Windows 2000 or Window XP machines, the new worm searches for and removes the Blaster worm file, Msblast.exe, and attempts to download and install a Windows software patch from Microsoft that closes the security hole used by the worm, according to antivirus companies.
Although the number of new Welchia infections is down since August, copies of the worm are still circulating on the Internet. On Wednesday, antivirus company Symantec Corp. still had Welchia rated a Category 4 threat on a scale of one to five, indicating a "severe" threat that is "difficult to contain."
On Wednesday, the U.S. embassy in the U.K. and other countries reported no problems with the CLASS system and no delays in issuing visas.
The State Department's internal investigatory arm, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, was investigating the Welchia outbreak and would issue an extensive report, Swann said.
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