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Feb 12, 2008 1:20 pm US/Eastern
FBI Warns Of Valentine's Day E-Mail Virus
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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The FBI warns e-mailers not to open e-mail from unknown senders or click on any links inside the e-mails if they do. (File)
CBS
First it was worms in your chocolate. Now it's worms in your e-mail.
The FBI Tuesday issued a warning that a malicious e-mail virus concealing itself in what appears to be a Valentine's Day e-card is spreading across the Internet.
With the romantic holiday just two days away, officials believe the "Storm Worm" virus will be making its rounds and causing headaches for many, reported CBS station WCBS-TV in New York.
In the e-mail, recipients are told they've been sent a special Valentine's Day greeting from a secret admirer. They're instructed to click on a link in the e-mail to retrieve the greeting, but instead of receiving encouraging words of love, they'll instantly download the troublesome software.
The virus connects the recipient to the "Storm Worm botnet," a network controlled by the creator of the virus.
Botnets allow the crooked e-mailer to engage in online crime including identity theft, denial of service attacks, sending of spam e-mail, and spreading the virus to others.
The FBI warns e-mailers not to open e-mail from unknown senders or click on any links inside the e-mails if they do.
The Storm Worm virus has cropped its ugly head up several times in the last year, capitalizing on other holidays and working in a similar fashion.
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