November 09, 2004

New MyDoom variant exploits IE flaw

New version of MyDoom exploits a recently discovered, unpatched buffer overflow vulnerability in IE

A new variant of the MyDoom worm that exploits an unpatched flaw in Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer (IE) browser is in the wild and posing particular risk to home and small business users, security experts warned this week.

The worm, which security firms dubbed MyDoom.AF, MyDoom.AH and MyDoom.AG, spreads by e-mail and exploits a recently discovered buffer overflow vulnerability in IE.

Internet users should avoid opening suspicious e-mail with the subject headers "funny photos :)," "hello," "hey!" and blank headers, according to security firm iDefense Inc. Users who open the infected e-mail and click on links in the message body will be directed to destinations from which an attack may be launched.

Microsoft issued a statement saying that it was aware of the new variant and an investigation is underway. According to early reports the vulnerability does not exist on Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) so customers running the security update are at a reduced risk of the threat, Microsoft said. The software maker and security experts advised users to install SP2 if they have not already.

Users less likely to have a perimeter defense, such as those in homes and small offices, are more vulnerable to attack, security experts warned. The variant exploits a flaw in the way IE handles "iframe" and "frame" HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) tags. Code that takes advantage of the flaw began circulating last week and researchers warned that several new codes exploiting the vulnerability may appear in the next few weeks since it is still unpatched.

Microsoft said however that it believes the current threat is low and that it is not aware of any significant customer impact. The company added that it will decide what further action to take upon completing its investigation and said it could issue a patch ahead of its regular monthly security update.

Close

On Twitter now

Security

Powered by Twitter

On Twitter now

White Paper

D2D Virtual Tape Library Replication Primer

This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.

Download now »

White Paper

An Alternative to Virtualization for Datacenter Cost Savings

Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.

Download now »

White Paper

Why Your Firewall, VPN, and IEEE 802.11i Aren't Enough to Protect Your Network

The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.

Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation

Download now »

White Paper

Bringing the Edge to the Data Center

Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect business–critical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.

Download now »

Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts

Subscribe to the Security Central Newsletter

Stay informed of the latest security threats and fixes.

White paper

Log Management: How to Develop the Right Strategy for Business and Compliance

This white paper provides guidance on how to develop a strategic approach to managing and monitoring logs, a key function required for compliance with many regulatory mandates and a critical defense against security threats.

Download now! »

White paper

The Essential Series: Security Information Management

Learn about the processes and technologies that support security information management (SIM) operations, as well as the business case for SIM. The series examines different options for implementing SIM and gives you evaluation criteria for selecting the best option for your organization.

Download now! »

White paper

Aberdeen: Choosing and Consuming Managed Security Services

Learn the strategies, actions, and capabilities that Best-in-Class organizations employ and technologies they choose to obtain superior performance against various security performance metrics. This report provides guidelines for identifying which security solutions to consume as a MSS and defines best practices for choosing and managing MSSPs.

Download now! »
©1994-2009 Infoworld, Inc.