It's all about a virus that is spreading over the Messenger - infected computers will send instant messages to users in the infected one's contact list. The messages contain a link; if you click it, you will get the virus as well and then guess what - you'll start sending those messages as well. The virus is a worm that spreads really fast, infecting your computer before you can say "anti-virus".

And in case you were wondering how this is related to Iraq, well, the messages you will send state that the link is related to the war in Iraq and that if you click them, you will see pictures from the battle.

This type of virus is not something new, as I had my share of these messages some time ago, it's just that they were regarding something else. This type of message that is now spreading in the wild had been reported yesterday by Senior Anti-Threat Researcher Loucif Kharouni to Trend Labs.

If you ever get such a message, ignore it, but if you get a similar one, and are really tempted to click on the link, then just ask the sender if that is for real and what the message is all about. Of course, before clicking take a little time to think about things - is the sender really a person interested in war pictures and whatever is going on in Iraq? Just by thinking a bit and being a little careful, you can save yourself a whole lot of trouble.

If you get this virus, it will be very hard to get rid of it, as it starts simultaneously with Windows and prevents it from running AV software; also, it accesses several more websites. If it downloads more malware, then you are definitely facing a multi-stage attack.