Panda Software's Chronicle of Malware Detected in the First Half of 2006

So, based on certain more or less intriguing characteristics, Panda Software has drawn up the following ranking of the malware that emerged during the first half of 2006: - The sexiest. Without a doubt, this award goes to the Tearec.A worm, better known as Kamasutra. This worm spread through email messages with explicit texts like Sex or Sex videos. However, instead of showing videos or risque images, on the third day of each month, this worm overwrote all the files with certain extensions that it found on the affected computer. http://www.pandasoftware.com/com/virus_info/encyclopedia/res... ermino= Tearec.A%20&tipoBusqueda=both - The most methodical. It is true that the majority of the variants of Bagle can disable the security applications running on the computers they infect, but Bagle.IB goes even further, as it disables up to 525 different processes. Nobody can say that it is not meticulous, but another issue is the state in which the computer is left after receiving this unwanted visitor. http://www.pandasoftware.com/com/Virus_Info/encyclopedia/ove... idvirus =112858&sitepanda=particulares - The most schizophrenic. This title rightly goes to Biwili.A. This malicious code can infect both Windows and Linux platforms. What we don't know is whether the appearance of this worm comes from its indecisive author not knowing which platform to infect or a malicious intention to do twice the damage. http://www.pandasoftware.com/com/virus_info/encyclopedia/ove... idvirus =114413&sitepanda=particulares - The most terrifying. BlackAngel.B shows a true horror movie style image, which is accompanied by messages in Spanish like: "En el 1er dia te espantas, en el segundo te desesperas, en el tercero buscas ayuda y en el cuarto mueres." (On the 1st day you will be scared, on the 2nd you will be desperate, on the 3rd you will look for help and on the 4th you die). But what could really "die" was the computer, as this worm deleted essential keys from the Windows Registry. http://www.pandasoftware.com/com/virus_info/encyclopedia/ove... idvirus =120738&sitepanda=particulares - The lustiest. In this category, we have to mention the spyware program PornMagPass, which although it promised free access details for pornographic websites, actually dropped malicious programs on the system. http://www.pandasoftware.com/com/virus_info/encyclopedia/ove... idvirus =120175&sitepanda=particulares - The most sporty. Two malicious codes are neck-in-neck for this award. The first is Sixem.A, which supposedly offered photos related to the FIFA World Cup 2006, Germany, and the second is Bagle.GZ, which used email messages referring to the Winter Games in Turin. http://www.pandasoftware.com/com/virus_info/encyclopedia/ove... idvirus =121430&sitepanda=particulares - The most complex. This "accolade" goes to the Detnat.A virus, which used polymorphic encryption to hide its code and impede detection. Fortunately, its author worked for nothing, as there is not antivirus program worth its salt that could not detect and eliminate it. http://www.pandasoftware.com/com/virus_info/encyclopedia/ove... idvirus =120327&sitepanda=particulares - The most innovative. Without fear of being wrong, in this category we can nominate Inqtana.A and Oomp.A, which were the first malicious codes designed to infect MAC OS X. http://www.pandasoftware.com/com/virus_info/encyclopedia/ove... idvirus =109291&sitepanda=particulares http://www.pandasoftware.com/com/virus_info/encyclopedia/ove... idvirus =108889&sitepanda=particulares - The nature lover. Nobody questions the beauty of the Snowy owl, a member of this family of birds of prey, but the annoying habit of Hoots.A to send images of this bird to every network printer it came across seems an excessive way to show its love of nature. http://www.pandasoftware.com/com/virus_info/encyclopedia/ove... idvirus =117846&sitepanda=particulares - The most versatile. The winner in this category is Cxover.A, a malicious code that could jump from computer to PDA when they were connected. http://www.pandasoftware.com/com/virus_info/encyclopedia/ove... idvirus =111844&sitepanda=particulares - The most studious. In this case, the "honor" does not go to the malicious code PGPCoder.D, but to its author, who studied RSA encryption (asymmetric key) to incorporate it instead of the symmetric key used in earlier versions. http://www.pandasoftware.com/com/virus_info/encyclopedia/ove... idvirus =107845&sitepanda=particulares - The sharpest. This title goes to Clickbot.A, which automatically clicks on pay-per-click advertisements, earning (albeit fraudulently) an extra income. http://www.pandasoftware.com/com/virus_info/encyclopedia/ove... idvirus =118189&sitepanda=particulares Although the malware described here may seem intriguing, it is always better to see it from afar and not to suffer the consequences. That is why Panda Software always recommends using a fully updated anti-malware suite. And if it has proactive technologies, like TruPrevent(TM), so much the better, as your computer will be protected from both known malware and malware that is still to be discovered. More information about TruPrevent(TM) Technologies at http://www.pandasoftware.com/truprevent To help as many users as possible scan and disinfect their systems, Panda Software offers its free, online anti-malware solution, Panda ActiveScan, which now also detects spyware, at http://www.activescan.com. Webmasters who would like to include ActiveScan on their websites can get the HTML code, free from http://www.pandasoftware.com/partners/webmasters. Panda Software also offers users Virus Alerts, an e-bulletin in English and Spanish that gives immediate warning of the emergence of potentially dangerous malicious code. To receive Virus Alerts just visit Panda Software's website (http://www.pandasoftware.com/about/subscriptions/) and complete the corresponding form. For further information about these and other computer threats, visit Panda Software's Encyclopedia. About Panda Software Labs Make sure your computer is free from viruses, spyware and other Internet threats using the free online solution Panda ActiveScan http://www.activescan.com. Since 1990, its mission has been to analyze new threats as rapidly as possible to keep our clients safe. Several teams, each specialized in a specific type of malware (viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, phishing, spam, etc.), work 24/7 to provide global coverage. To achieve this, they also have the support of TruPrevent(TM) Technologies, which act as a global early-warning system made up of strategically distributed sensors to neutralize new threats and send them to Panda Software Labs for in-depth analysis. According to Av.Test.org, Panda Software Labs is currently the fastest laboratory in the industry in providing complete updates to users (more info at http://www.pandasoftware.com/pandalabs.asp). For more information: http://www.pandasoftware.com/virus_info

For more information: Carolina Sanabria

Public Relations Manager

Panda Software, USA

pr@pandasecurity.com

Phone: (818) 543-6909