Blackworm virus set to activate tomorrow

[Detector]

Source: eSecurityPlanet

Microsoft is preparing users for the arrival of the Blackworm, a mass mailing malware variant expected to infiltrate and slam personal computers this Friday.

The software vendor, which calls the socially inclined worm Win32/Mywife.E@mm, said the worm tries to lure users to open an attached file in an e-mail message.
But if the recipient opens the file, the malware sends itself to all the contacts in the computer's e-mail client address book.
The malware also attempts to scan the network looking for systems it can connect to and infect. If it fails to connect to one of these systems, logs on with "Administrator" as the user name together with a blank password, Microsoft said in a security advisory this week.
Blackworm, also known as Blackmal, Nyxem, MyWife, Tearec and KamaSutra, places a malicious zip file icon somewhere on the system.
The malware is designed to wreck a number of common document format files on the third day of every month. Feb. 3, 2006, is the first time this malware is expected to corrupt the content of specific document format files, including all .doc (Microsoft Word), .xls (Microsoft Excel), .ppt/.pps (Microsoft PowerPoint) and .pdf files, among others.