Hackers are trying to exploit the storms which have been hitting Europe. F-Secure, a Finnish data security firm, announced the identification of the "Storm" email worm in emails with the subject line "230 dead as storm batters Europe." The file attached to the message contains a virus that creates a backdoor into the computer. This allows the hacker to later either steal data or to use the victim’s computer to post spam messages to other victims.

This is part of the growing evidence that hackers are conducting real-time attacks, trying to take advantage of our curiosity and compassion during breaking new stories. Security experts estimate that thousands of computers have already been affected, mostly personal computers. Most corporate systems (including Westfield’s) have already been configured to block this virus but the hackers know that many personal users are not as diligent at keeping their anti-virus software up-to-date.

  • Do not open unsolicited emails.
  • Keep your anti-virus software up-to-date and run it regularly.

Read this Reuters article for more.

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