Spread of Kournikova Virus Highlights Security Lapses

Computerworld - Security software vendors and other experts are warning users of the dire consequences of viruses, such as the worm disguised as a photo of Russian tennis star Anna Kournikova that was launched last week.

Servers across corporate America were bombarded with the Visual Basic Script (VBS) worm built from a crude tool kit. That the worm spread as swiftly as it did shows that companies have a long way to go to improve lax security in their infrastructure and among their users, said observers.

"I didn't see anything new about this one. People should have had filters in place to prevent this," said Mark Amos, manager of

	JUST THE FACTS
	Watch for Traffic You're bound to get hit once in a while, but there are a few things you can do to minimize the damage:
	Block or disallow suspect extensions, like .exe and .vbs
	Put up layered virus detection and filtration devices inside and outside the firewall.
	Tell your users whenever you see a new virus start to come across, even if you think you're blocking it.

information security at Owens Corning in Toledo, Ohio.

The worm, which did no damage, was allegedly written by a 20-year-old Dutch man who turned himself in to police. In a statement to authorities, the suspect said he "made a virus to prove how simple it was to make [one] and how vulnerable computers are."

A Patch Does Exist

Once the attachment was opened, the worm worked its way through the address books of Microsoft Outlook users. Yet, eight months ago, Microsoft Corp. put out a patch for its Outlook e-mail software in response to similar problems with the "I Love You" virus. That patch would have prevented users from being infected with the Kournikova worm, said Vincent Gullotto, the director of McAfee.com Corp.'s McAfee Anti-Virus Emergency Response Team laboratory in Beaverton, Ore.

While those hardest hit aren't talking about the virus and its damage to their corporate systems, a few security managers have shared their experiences with the Kournikova worm, or VBS/SST.

Paul L. Schmehl, supervisor of support services at the University of Texas at Dallas, said constant education of his staffers has led them to a point where he trusts them to recognize the potential threat in unsolicited attachments.

"Our experience has shown that our users do use sound judgment regarding attachments," he said. "However, the onslaught of viruses that use stealth, encryption, multiple attachment file names, subject lines and body text makes it more hassle than it's worth to keep our users informed of the details of