Storm Worm Blog Virus on Rise

A new variant of the troublesome Storm worm computer virus attacks weblogs, bulletin boards and Web mail, British and Korean computer security experts say.

The worm, which disguises itself as a news message about Europe’s February storms, appears safe, but inserts a link to a malicious Web site if users post onto a blog journal or bulletin board, senior researcher Kang Eun-sung of AhnLab, South Korea’s foremost antivirus software developer, told The Korea Times.

The users’ text, including through Web mail, will contain their own content along with the link and a note to lure readers to check out a Web site with fun videos or an e-card.

Storm worm made up 50.3 percent of all malware tracked by Britain’s Sophos, making it the number one threat seen by the security company.

Malware is malicious computer software that interferes with normal computer functions or sends personal data about the user to unauthorized parties over the Internet.