14 DAY TRIAL // It's a well known fact that hackers generally use very inventive methods for spreading viruses and other malware. And the last threat of this type fits the profile, because it capitalizes on the huge success of the iTunes in order to try and infect as many computers as possible.
The worm, WORM_OPANKI.Y, which has been identified by the security company Trend Micro, poses as an iTunes file and is spreading using AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). While it does not affect Mac users, it does affect most breeds of the Windows OS.
When activated the worm actually sends a message to all online contacts of an affected user, which reads, "this picture never gets old". Each message has a link to a URL where users download a file that appears to be a JPEG. Also, once active, the software will begin to download spyware and pop-ups and will track the Internet sites that infected users visit.
Trend Micro also warns: "This worm has backdoor capabilities. It opens a random TCP port and connects to the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) server xyz.legi0n.net. Once connected, it joins the IRC channel #fate, where it listens for commands from a remote malicious user. It then executes these commands locally on affected machines."
The virus is not considered to be a very serious threat, because, according to Trend Micro, it hasn't spread widely yet, but the users should pay attention, as always, to what they're downloading from the Internet.