71. Beware of downloads while
instant messaging
By Mark Alberstat
People love to chat. Whether it is around the water cooler or over a cup
of coffee, there is always something to chat about. Today, more and more
people are going online to do their chatting with instant messaging (IM)
programs like MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger or
others. The advantage of these programs over e-mail is, as the name
suggests, the conversation is almost instantaneous. IMlogic, a leader in
IM software security, stated in its third-quarter IM Threat Report that
there are about 300 million users of IM software and that more than one
billion messages are sent each day through these types of programs.
Due to the popularity of IM, virus authors are turning the evil gaze
toward these programs and how they can infect the user's computer. The
vast majority of threats that move through IM are ones that the end user
must actively participate in. Most of these come in the form of a link to
click on or a file to download. IMlogic also reports that 62 per cent of
all IM threats are aimed at MSN users, while AOL/ICQ users receive about
31 per cent of the threats. The remaining seven percent is focused on
Yahoo!
The most common virus threat to IM is the Kelvir virus that was first
reported in March 2005. Mary Landesman, writing for About.com, claims
that by mid-September, there has been more than 200 variants of this
threat reported.
To interest the user on clicking a displayed link, the virus sends a
message with a variety of titles, including "omg this is funny!"; "People
say this is real, u might wanna check this out"; ":) :) haha, this is
cool" and others. Once the link is clicked on, your web browser opens to
a page on the Internet that loads infected files on your computer. Most
of these are variants of the SDbot virus, which is designed to exploit
security holes in the Windows operating system.
Follow a few basic rules to keep yourself safe from IM viruses. The
first, and most obvious, is to not download any files transferred through
an IM program. If you are downloading files, be sure that you not only
know who the file is from, but that the sender has an up-to-date virus
scanner on his or her machine to help protect you from receiving a
questionable file. If you are not expecting your IM chat partner to send
you a file and a prompt appears requesting you to download something, it
is best to double-check with the person that the file is safe and they are
aware of the transmission.
Another step to help you avoid these viruses is to keep your operating
system, IM program and virus scanner up to date. The latest versions of
all these software packages will help protect your system and the people
you are chatting with.
Anti-spyware software is also an important brick in your wall of defence.
Some IM viruses will install spyware programs on your computer. Updated
sofware will help prevent these from being downloaded or will detect them
when you scan your machine, which should be done about once a week.
With these tips in mind, you should be able to join the millions of people
using IM technology to chat online about everything imaginable, and keep
your computer safe at the same time.
The Mousepad runs every two weeks. It's a service of Chebucto Community
Net, a community-owned Internet provider. If you have a question about
computing, email mousepad@chebucto.ns.ca. If we use your question in
a column, we'll send you a free mousepad.
Originally published 30 October 2005
