AIM Has Worms: Computer Pest
Using Chat Program to Spread
Drake Hardware & Software

A surprisingly virulent new computer worm is using AOL Instant Messenger to widen its damage path. Reported by www.idg.com, www.computerworld.com, www.techspot.com and others, this new worm - known as W32.pipeline - exploits infected computers and turns them into mindless remote spamming agents, creating a network of remote attack centers to propagate the worm and turn your computer's efficiency into slow-moving sludge.

According to ComputerWorld's article, the file appears when a generally harmless-looking web link is sent to the user by an individual on their buddy list. The message is along the lines of, 'Hey, would it be okay if I upload this picture of you to my blog?'" Unfortunately, if the recipient clicks on the link, the service will download an executable file that may then cause a number of different issues.

Chris Boyd, the researcher who discovered the worm, says that the worm can manipulate the user's email port to send spam messages and install "a variant of the 'hacker defender' rootkit," which - as some new Sony CD owners discovered months ago - can mask the activity of other programs, making them extremely difficult to detect and completely remove.

According to Boyd, one of the most dangerous and unique parts of the W32.pipeline worm is that it has the ability to connect to remote-upload sites. The worm is capable of connecting to a variety of global upload sites at random. Boyd says that while running the file, researchers not only connected to different sites, but when attempting to break the connection, they discovered that the worm simply made a call to another file.

As of today, the ComputerWorld article estimates around 1000 to 2000 infected computers as part of the W32.pipeline 'botnet,' but many more computers may be infected and not part of that group.

To avoid infection, most sources recommend frequent AIM users to update spyware and virus protection frequently, and to be wary of clicking an unexpected link from a buddy.

More Information:
ComputerWorld Article
TechSpot.Com Article
Original Worm Report by FaceTime Security Labs
Symantec Security Response Definition - What is a Worm?