New IM worm speaks your language

August 25, 2005

Researchers at Akonix Systems said they found a new variant of the Kelvir instant messaging worm that adapts to the language of a user's system.

Kelvir.HI, which checks the system settings of an IM client and sends a message in the appropriate language, is the first of its kind, according to researchers at Akonix, a supplier of IM security.

The company rated the worm as a low risk, as did Symantec.

Kelvir.HI spreads through MSN Messager and targets Windows systems, according to Symantec.

The worm downloads a copy of the Spybot worm and sends messages in either English, Spanish, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Swedish, Italian, Portuguese, or Turkish, Akonix researchers said.

In July, Akonix reported a 400 percent increase in IM threats in the second quarter of this year.

www.akonix.com

Marcia Savage

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