Dasher worm gallops onto the Net
A Windows-targeted worm that drops spying software on vulnerable PCs is spreading across the Internet, security experts have warned.
The Dasher.B worm exploits a flaw in Microsoft Windows Distributed Transaction Coordinator, or MDTC, security companies said Friday. Microsoft announced and patched the hole in the component for transaction processing in October. However, initial glitches with the update may have left some users without a properly implemented fix, Sophos said.
"The worry is that the problems with the patch may have prevented it from being successfully rolled out onto some vulnerable computers," Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at the security company, said in a statement.
Cluley noted that computers running Windows 2000 and those that have not been updated with MS05-051 face the greatest risk.
Dasher.B is a network worm that has the potential to open a back door on computers with the MSDTC flaw, security experts said. The infected systems are then prompted to connect to a remote computer for instructions. Once connected, it downloads a malicious program that tracks keystrokes.
