Security news
Security news8 May 2006
Fantasy football formula virus spreads via Excel spreadsheets
Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have warned users about a new virus that infects Excel files under the camouflage of a fantasy football worksheet.
XF97/Yagnuul-A is an Excel formula virus that infects .XLS spreadsheets, dropping an infected file that helps workers create their own fantasy football league with other fans of the English Premiership. The Premiership is a football league made up of the best soccer teams in England, and has millions of followers based around the globe.
The virus drops an infected fantasy football league spreadsheet.
"Fantasy football-like leagues have been set up in offices across the country, and fans often keep track of how well they are doing by using Excel spreadsheets. Every computer user needs to take great care not to fall foul of malware like the Yagnuul virus or they will find themselves paying the penalty," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "This is a virus of two halves - one part infects your existing Excel spreadsheets, while the other drops an infected fantasy league file onto your drive. You may think you are just re-using someone else's harmless spreadsheet, but behind the scenes a virus may be preparing to strike."
Fantasy football is a popular pastime in many offices, where football fans select their own team of soccer players and accumulate points based upon their real-life performance.
Sophos experts reported last week on a Trojan horse that has been spammed out, posing as a wallchart for the upcoming World Cup tournament in Germany.
Companies are recommended to protect their email with a consolidated solution to thwart the virus, spyware and spam threats and secure their desktops and servers with automatically updated anti-virus protection.
Do you know how many employees are running virtualisation software on their PCs?
About Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises all over the world to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Sophos's network access control, endpoint, web and email solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, Sophos protects over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with its reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognized for its high level of customer satisfaction and powerful yet easy-to-use solutions, Sophos has received many industry awards, as well as positive reviews and certifications.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com
