Sobig Called Fastest-spreading Worm

[The Doctor]

SOBIG CALLED FASTEST-SPREADING WORM
The Sobig.F worm has claimed the dubious distinction of being the fastest spreading virus to date. The virus flooded e-mail servers and inboxes, slowing corporate and university network access and causing some e-mail systems to be taken offline. The assault seems to have eased since August 21, when the malicious e-mail reportedly accounted for about 70 percent of e-mail around the world. Security analysts claim the virus hit the Internet so hard because it uses Trojan-horse applications distributed by earlier variants of the Sobig worm. Infected computers became hidden proxy servers, allowing the Sobig-F worm to employ spamming techniques. Sobig-F is designed to stop on September 10, leading analysts to suspect another variant will appear soon thereafter. Internet News, 21 August 2003 http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3066881