BizNet OnLine Magazine, Windows virus could kill Christmas

Windows virus could Ruin The Upcoming Holidays
"And you can cancel Christmas!"

Remember the Sheriff of Nottingham's threat in the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves? Well, it looks as though a virus writer has the same idea.

An anti-virus software company has discovered a Windows virus that could severely dampen the Christmas spirit. The virus has the potential to wreak even more havoc than that inflicted in April on computer users worldwide by the Chernobyl virus, according to information from Central Command and its Kaspersky Lab research unit, issued late Wednesday.

Although Chernobyl, also known as CIH 1.2, didn't have much of an effect in the United States, users in Europe and Asia were not so fortunate. For instance, the South Korean government said the virus hit 244,000 PCs.

The new Chernobyl-like threat is set to activate on Christmas Day. The decidedly unfestive virus is known as Win32.Kriz, Win32Kriz.3740, or Win32.Kriz.3862, according to Central Command. Fellow antivirus software vendor Symantec also posted information about the virus on its Antivirus Research Center Web site Tuesday.

A memory-resident polymorphic virus, Win32.Kriz replicates under Windows 32-bit systems -- Windows 95, 98, and NT -- and infects PE (portable executable) Windows program files with the .EXE and .SCR file-name extensions along with the Windows Kernel.32.DLL system library, according to both Central Command and Symantec. The system library infection allows the virus to stay memory resident -- within a computer's memory all the time -- during an entire Windows session.

A polymorphic virus is one that manages to hide its identity by altering its binary pattern every time it infects a new file.

Win32.Kriz can infect files that are copied, opened, and moved, according to information on Central Command's Web site. The virus kills the CMOS memory of any infected system -- the memory that stores a computer's setup configuration -- and overwrites the data in all files on all available drives. On Dec. 25, the virus destroys the Flash BIOS using the same routine as found in the Chernobyl virus, Central Command said. The result is that users are unable to boot their computers properly or control the cursor.

The virus also triggers a message definitely not in keeping with the Christmas spirit, with sample lyrics "You call it religion. ... I'm sick and tired of your goddamn lies, lies in the name of God."

Antivirus software vendors contacted Thursday in Asia said that given the virus' very recent appearance, it was too early to comment on its likely impact.

Central Command Inc., based in Medina, Ohio, can be reached at www.avp.com. Symantec Corp., based in Cupertino, Calif., can be reached at www.symantec.com.

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