[StBernard] STORM WORM VIRUS

[Westley Annis]

STORM WORM VIRUS

With the Valentine's Day holiday approaching, be on the lookout for spam
e-mails spreading the Storm Worm malicious software (malware). The e-mail
directs the recipient to click on a link to retrieve the electronic greeting
card (e-card). Once the user clicks on the link, malware is downloaded to
the Internet connected device and causes it to become infected and part of
the Storm Worm botnet. A botnet is a network of compromised machines under
the control of a single user. Botnets are typically set up to facilitate
criminal activity such as spam e-mail, identity theft, denial of service
attacks, and spreading malware to other machines on the Internet.

The Storm Worm virus has capitalized on various holidays in the last year by
sending millions of e-mails advertising an e-card link within the text of
the spam e-mail. Valentine's Day has been identified as the next target.

Be wary of any e-mail received from an unknown sender. Do not open any
unsolicited e-mail and do not click on any links provided.

If you have received this, or a similar e-mail, please file a complaint at
www.ic3.gov.