Goner Worm Goes To Top Of Virus Charts In Just One Day
Anti-virus companies today have put a new e-mail-borne worm that targets PCs running Microsoft Windows near the top of lists cataloging prolific Internet intruders. At least one company says the worm, known as "Goner," may be the fastest-spreading e-mail attacker since the infamous "Love Letter virus" circumnavigated the global Internet in the spring of 2000.
Ryan McGee, marketing manager for Network Associate's McAfee anti-virus arm, said his company suspected the worm had hit as many as 100,000 PCs by late afternoon today, estimating that figure by the number of calls and other anecdotal reports from large companies and individual users.
The worm, first reported in Europe early today and usually labeled W32/Gone.A, is highly virulent and capable of spreading via e-mail, the ICQ instant messenger client and Internet relay chat (IRC) links.
