The new Bagle-AU worm which was discovered earlier today, has the capability to disable users firewall and security software including the built in Windows XP Service Pack 2 firewall. Although many previous worms and viruses have had this capability in the past, this is concerning particuarly because users with Service Pack 2 may consider themselves to be secure from this sort of threat.
Graham Cluley, Senior Technology Consultant for Sophos, made the following comment about the worm:
"By turning off firewall protection and other security software the author of the latest incarnation of the Bagle worm is opening up computers to attack. Increasingly virus writers are aiming to take over innocent peoples' computers in order to steal, spam or cause mischief.
Just because you are running the latest version of Windows XP you shouldn't think you are necessarily protected from this worm. If you launch it on a PC running Windows XP SP2 it can turn off your firewall opening the door to hackers and other internet attacks."
This goes to show that however secure you think your PC may be, there is always the potential that your system may be infected by the latest virus or worm. We'd recommend that you keep all your anti-virus software up to date and exercise caution when using the internet or e-mail.
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