New Internet Virus Attacks New Internet Virus Attacks

Australia's internet system has been struck by a dangerous new worm program which may spread further with the start of the business week.

Internet experts say the worm, named Sasser, began to spread on Saturday and, unlike a virus, it doesn't travel through e-mails or attachments.

Instead, it is able to spread itself to any unprotected computer linked to the internet.

The worm attacks through a flaw in recent versions of Microsoft's Windows, including Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP, and causes the computer to shut down, then reboots it repeating the process several times.

However, the experts say it does not appear to do any lasting damage other than the inconvenience of an intermittently operating computer.

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Microsoft Fix

Microsoft made available a software update last month to fix the flaw exploited by the worm, and since mid-April several million copies have been downloaded.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Microsoft - What You Should Know About the Sasser Worm and Its Variants

Microsoft teams have confirmed that the Sasser worm (W32.Sasser.A and its variants) is currently circulating on the Internet. Microsoft has verified that the worm exploits the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) issue that was addressed by the security update released on April 13 in conjunction with Microsoft Security Bulliten MS04-011.

To protect your computer against Sasser and its variants, do the following:

Step 1: Enable a Firewall

Before you take other steps, make sure you have a firewall activated to help protect your computer against infection. If you have a hardware firewall in place for your home or workplace connection, or if you use the firewall included with Microsoft Windows XP, the Sasser worm is most likely blocked. If your computer has been infected, activating firewall software will help limit the effects of the worm on your computer. For comprehensive guidance to installing and enabling a firewall, see the Microsoft Protect Your PC site.

Step 2: Install the Required Update

To help protect your computer against the Sasser worm and its variants, you must first download and install security update 835732, which was released with Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-011. You can find update 835732 on the Windows Update Web site listed in the Critical Updates and Service Packs section. You can also download and install this update manually from the Microsoft.com Download Center. To find the download for your operating system, refer to Technical Security Bulletin MS04-011.

Note If you installed the updates for MS04-011 manually or through Automatic Updates before Friday, April 30, then you are already protected against this issue.

Step 3: Automatically Check For and Remove Sasser.A and Sasser.B

You can use this tool to search your hard disk for and try to remove Sasser.A and Sasser.B. To do so, click Check My PC for Infection.

Important To use this tool, you must be running Windows XP or Windows 2000, and you must have already installed the update released with Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-011.

Note After you click Check My PC for Infection, a Microsoft End-User License Agreement is displayed. In the window, click I Agree, and then click Continue. If you see a message advising you that the tool is loading, click OK to proceed.

Note If you have difficulty running the tool from this page, it may be due to your browser's security settings. If you have any problems, try downloading the tool directly from the Microsoft.com Download Center and then running it manually.

Step 4: Review Additional Technical Resources

If the scanning and cleaning tool does not work for you, try using one of the free worm removal tools available at these antivirus software vendors' Web sites:

Step 5: Learn How to Protect Your PC

To help protect your computer against a wide variety of security threats, see Protect Your PC.

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