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MyDoom worm is fastest spreading ever

Cougar News Services

MyDoom, the computer worm that first appeared a week ago, has accomplished its mission: bringing down the Web site of the software manufacturer SCO Group.

What analysts call the "fastest-spreading e-mail worm in history" now reportedly affects more than 1 million computers worldwide. At one point last week, its propagation reportedly accounted for 30 percent of all e-mail traffic at its peak.

The worm, released when users opened an e-mail attachment, was programmed to flood the Internet with requests for SCO's Web site Sunday. It is believed the attacks were prompted by SCO's involvement in a legal battle for control of the Linux operating system.

MyDoom is set to become ineffective Feb. 12, while MyDoom.B, a variant of the worm, is expected to target Microsoft Corp.'s Web site Tuesday.

Experts continue warning e-mail users not to open any attachments that are unexpected or unsolicited, even if they seem to have come from familiar e-mail addresses.

SCO and Microsoft have announced a combined $500,000 reward to catch the author of the worm, which Internet security experts believe origninated in Russia.
 

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