The Latest Computer-Virus Victim - Macromedia Shockwave

You may be familiar with the .swf files. They are created using the Macromedia Flash. They are used to create animations. I have also created some small flash movies. The swf file contains some audio and video data that deals with the animation. The file is very compact that they can be used in many web based applications. Several websites including those owned by the multinational companies uses flash animations to make their website more attractive and user interactive. One of the example is the esnips.com. the site uses the flash file to allow the user to upload the files. You can also see an attractive animation that involves good user interaction in the website of the company Hero Honda. More over flash allows one to create small applications. The flash gives a lot of functions for the user to create the applications very easily and can accomodate complex functions. The applications created using the flash is more attractive than created using java or cpp. The usage of the flash in the website is considered more secure than including video. But the recent reports by the Kaspersky anti virus firm proves it to be wrong. SWScript.LFM, which is the first malicious program that infects the popular multimedia format, Macromedia Shockwave.For spreading, this malicious program requires several important conditions, whose simultaneous execution is highly unlikely. First of all, LFM requires a PC that has been installed with a full program version that executes Macromedia Shockwave files - special plug-in versions installed on Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator by default are not enough for the virus to operate. Secondly, a user has to manually download the infected SMF file to his computer and start it up. Thirdly, fortunately LFM is only capable of infecting SMF files located in the same directory as the file-carrying virus. Kaspersky Labs considers the possibility of an epidemic outbreak caused by the LFM virus to be very unlikely. May be this starts the new era in the computer virus which can spread more than other virus since many websites uses flash based applications.
Defense procedures against LFM have already been added to the Kaspersky Labs daily anti-virus database update as of January 8, 2002. You will get a more detailed information about this malicious program is available in the Kaspersky Virus Encyclopedia.

Blogged with the Flock Browser