April 12, 2006
Microsoft Updates Worm Killer
Along with the
usual patches unveiled Tuesday, Microsoft also updated the Windows Malicious Software Tool, a free utility that detects and deletes a limited number of worms, viruses, Trojans, and rootkits.
April's edition adds three new pieces of malware to the tool's target list: the Valla virus, and Reatle and Locksky worms. Microsoft tagged all three as "moderate" threats, the middle of the three-step system the Redmond, Wash. developer uses to rank malicious code.
None of the three are exactly new threats. Valla, a classic virus that latches onto executable files it finds on victimized PCs, harks to March 2003, while Reatle was discovered in July 2005 and Locksky in December of the same year.
And none of the three are breaking any infection records. Locksky, the newest, has infected a small number of computers worldwide, according to statistics gathered by Trend Micro, but the total is fewer than 40 during the past month.
A copy of the Microsoft tool is automatically downloaded, installed, and run on Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003 on systems set to grab patches from Windows Update or Microsoft Update. Other users can run the tool from this site.
Microsoft also offers a more thorough virus cleaning service, dubbed Windows Live Safety Center. The free service, which is part of the Windows Live line-up, is currently in beta.
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