Virus dresses up as a naked J-Lo
By promising to display pictures of actress Jennifer Lopez naked, the destructive Chernobyl
virus is again spreading across the Internet via e-mail.
Antivirus-software maker Panda Software issued an alert Thursday after receiving about eight
reports of the virus, including one from a major aviation company. The company discovered the
problem before the virus could do any significant damage.
Panda has given the virus its highest rating of potential risk, distribution and destruction. However,
Panda competitor Symantec considers the virus less of a threat, saying it received only six reports
through Wednesday, indicating that it was spreading too slowly to cause any real damage.
While the distribution has
been limited, the virus still
poses a serious threat,
said Steve Demogines,
director of tech support at
Panda. The Chernobyl
virus can erase files and
disable computers.
The other factor that makes
it dangerous, Demogines
said, is that it uses a
"social engineering"
technique that could prove
effective. The term social
engineering refers to the
practice of coming up with
intriguing e-mail subject
lines to fool the
unsuspecting into opening
virus-infected files.
The Lopez file's subject
line reads "Where are you," and the attachment is titled JenniferLopez_Naked.JPG.VBS.
"Virus writers are still successfully using the social engineering technique to trick the unwary user,"
Panda said in a statement Thursday.
The Jennifer Lopez file is the latest in a string of mass-mailing worm viruses--copycat versions of
the AnnaKournikova virus--that spread across the globe in February by encouraging victims to click
on a supposed picture of Russian tennis star Anna Kournikova.
The Anna virus had the ability to mail itself to a large number of Internet users but did not damage
computer systems. Its main threat was that it might clog servers. The virus inside the Lopez file
packs a more destructive payload.
When the W95/CIH virus is unleashed, it goes on a search-and-destroy mission, according to
Panda.
The virus seeks out and overwrites code on specific files on the hard disk, stripping them of their
content. The virus also infects the Windows installation folder and can disable a computer by
overwriting BIOS information on the PC's motherboard, preventing a user from booting up,
Demogines said.
The virus is also an example of a joke coming to life. A Lopez virus is part of a long-running gag on
numerous Web sites and mailing lists devoted to tech humor. A typical entry lists numerous
fictitious viruses, including: "Jennifer Lopez Virus: your computer looks nice but doesn't work very
well."
