'Neeris' Worm Using Old Tricks on Windows PCs
- By Jabulani Leffall
- 04/09/09
While the IT security community waited anxiously to see what havoc the Conficker worm might bring to infected systems April 1, another worm slithered into the picture and now has Microsoft's full attention.
This time, it's an old nemesis called the "Neeris" worm. A new variant of Neeris, known as Worm:Win32/Neeris.gen!C, began infecting Microsoft Windows-based systems between March 31 and April 1 while IT security pundits were looking the other way. A lot of attention was diverted to Conficker, although nothing of consequence happened on that fated April 1 date.
Redmond said this week that Neeris has resurfaced and is exploiting the same vulnerability targeted by Conficker. Microsoft issued a patch for this vulnerability in October (MS08-067), but company officials have complained that IT shops still lag in applying it.
Neeris tries to exploit the same Microsoft Windows AutoRun and remote call procedure features utilized by Conficker. The aim of the attack is to extract passwords, change system configurations and allow a hacker to override a workstation.
Neeris replicates itself through a server service vulnerability described in a previous patch from September 2006 (MS06-040). That method involves sending malicious links over MSN Messenger and interloping on MSN's instant messaging program so that when the links are accessed, the worm can do its dirt.
To stave off this new-old worm, the Microsoft is telling IT shops to take steps to install patches on nonupdated machines, as with Conficker. Disabling AutoRun in Windows is also a temporary workaround fix.
About the Author
Jabulani Leffall is a business consultant and an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in the Financial Times of London, Investor's Business Daily, The Economist and CFO Magazine, among others. He consulted for Deloitte & Touche LLP and was a business and world affairs commentator on ABC and CNN.