BOSTON, March 1 (UPI) -- A crippling computer virus infiltrating big U.S. businesses could hijack business network systems worldwide, a security software company said Thursday.
New versions of the RINBOT or DELBOT virus are designed to exploit security vulnerabilities embedded in antivirus software, senior technology consultant Graham Cluley of Sophos PLC in Boston said.
"Traditionally hackers always went after Microsoft's antivirus programs. But now they're increasingly targeting other commonly used programs such as Symantec programs and others," he told CNNMoney.com.
A Symantec Corp. information-technology specialist told CNNMoney the most recent RINBOT variants were targeting Symantec antivirus programs.
The strain appears to be hitting MS SQL servers, Cluley said. It looks for networks that run the Microsoft Windows operating system, including Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT and Windows XP. It spreads through the network by manipulating "weak" spots such as simple passwords, he said.
Once in, the virus takes over with the intention of turning the computer network into a botnet, or a "zombie" network, he said.
Cluley said the virus was not geographically limited.
"It's very stealthy and insidious and works without you knowing it," he said.
