With the new computer virus ‘Nopir-B’ worm spreading through Europe, computer users are advised to take extra caution. The W32/Nopir-B worm, which spreads over peer to peer file-sharing networks, claims to be a DVD copying utlilty. In reality however it attempts to delete all of a users MP3 music files, as well as disabling various system utilities and wiping .COM programs.
The worm is said to destroy the user’s operating system, making it impossible to reboot computers. Experts say the worm has not made its way to Korea yet but advised PC users to upgrade their anti-virus software.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, made the following statement about the worm:
The internet is swamped with people pirating movies and music, costing the entertainment industry millions each year. The Nopir-B worm targets people it believes may be involved in piracy, but fails to discriminate between the true criminals and those who may have MP3 files they have created themselves. Whichever side of the fence you come down on in regards to internet piracy, there’s no debate about the criminal nature of this worm – designed to inflict malicious damage on people’s Windows computers.