An e-mail worm containing a “11September.exe” attachment is expected to pose a minimal threat to corporate and home computer systems around the world.
The virus, called W32/Chet@MM originates from Russia, and was discovered on Tuesday.
At least three security firms have assessed the threat the e-mail virus poses as low to users. F-Secure, a Finland-based security firm, stated in its security alert that the virus contains “serious bugs” thereby not allowing it to function on most systems, so it “can not be considered to be a realistic threat at this time.”
Both McAfee.com Corp. and Symantec Corp. also assessed the potential damage and distribution threat as low.
The virus could potentially affect Windows 95, 98 NT, 2000 XP and Me, but will not affect Macintosh, Unix or Linux operating systems, Symantec said.
The worm sends itself using STMP to all address book recipients, according to McAfee.com.
The e-mail states it is from main@world.com, with the subject line “All People!!” and features the 11september.exe attachment. The e-mail states it does not contain a virus and is not Spam. It invites the receiver to open the attachment to see photos of Osama Bin Laden speaking to the U.S. secretary of state, as well as written documentation of FBI discussions on how to strike New York with minimal casualties, and a copy of a confidential agreement between the CIA and Al Qaeda.
F-Secure can be found at http://www.f-secure.com.
McAfee.com can be found at http://www.mcafee.com.
Symantec can be found at http://www.symantec.com.