Kama Sutra worm seduces PC users


By Joris Evers
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

A new e-mail worm that spreads under the guise of pornographic content has jumped to the top of the worldwide virus charts.

When run on a Windows PC, the worm copies itself to shared network locations and sends itself to e-mail addresses found on the target computer. The pest includes a timed attack that attempts to disable antivirus and firewall software and delete certain files, including Office documents, on the third day of the month, according to antivirus software vendor F-Secure.

The worm, dubbed W32/Nyxem-E by F-Secure, arrives attached to an e-mail message. It uses a variety of subject lines, including "School girl fantasies gone bad." The body text also varies, but it can include references to the Kama Sutra, the ancient Sanskrit book with pictures and explanations about different sexual positions. The worm executes when the user opens the attachment.

"This worm feeds on people's willingness to receive salacious content on their desktop computer," Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for antivirus vendor Sophos, said in a statement.