Bagle running wild on the Internet

Bagle.AF is under close surveillance by McAfee: there is the possibility it may be lifted to High risk soon

19 07 2004

Bagle (or Beagle) Internet worm lifted to Category 3 risk

One of the latest variants of the Bagle Internet worm has been given Category 3 risk status by Symantec due to the speed with which it is spreading

Bagle is an Internet worm that spreads through email, terminates processes associated with many security-related programs such as firewalls and anti-virus scanning, and opens a backdoor to allow unauthorized remote access to data.

Two further variants were discovered on 18 and 19 July 2004.

An earlier variant discovered on 15 July 2004, Bagle.AF, is Category 3 (Symantec) and in McAfee’s ‘on watch’ status for close surveillance; there is the possibility it may be lifted to High risk.

Bagle even uses certain protocols to prevent Netsky and other worms from interfering with its operation on infected machines. These also disable security programs such as Norton, Kerio, Panda, Dr Watson and others.

Bagle.AF exploits vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, and Windows XP.

Make sure that you use anti-virus and firewall software (or firewall hardware) from reputable vendors to protect your PC(s) and network, and ensure that they are kept up-to-date.

topenterprise

also recommends –

Run a complete virus scan at least once every day
Take frequent backups of important data
Check to ensure that reliable copies of software programs are available if they are required
Follow the recommendations of your security software/hardware vendors.

If in any doubt about the security of IT systems that your business depends on, it pays to get advice from an IT expert.

In the Knowledge Centre, you can learn about six steps to help you to identify the best solution and a backup procedure for your business –
Keeping your data safe (for topenterprise members)

© 2004 Copyright topenterprise uk ltd All rights reserved
Property of topenterprise uk ltd and made available under the terms of use notice on this web site

Footnote
This article is intended to contribute to informed decisions by business owners, directors and managers. It does not constitute professional advice in all individual cases and should not be interpreted as giving specific advice or guidance.

Before making a decision to take any action you should make your own appropriate enquiries and seek legal, financial and other relevant advice from a qualified person or body. See terms of use for further information.

Back to top of page