New destructive malware identified

12:44 12th May 2010

A new computer virus that replaces all files in the C:drive with copies of itself has been identified by Sophos.

The malware, named W32/Scar-H, can lead to a cascade effect where, in the end, it takes down the entire computer system. Oddly, there seems to be no financial motive behind the virus since its function is purely destructive.

Commenting on the emergence of the virus, Jens Kirschner, a lead training manager at 7Safe, said: "The approach taken here seems extremely blunt, which is unusual for modern malware."

According to Mr Kirschner, the motivation might have been "along the lines of revenge, where the author initially intended the destruction for a particular organisation or person from where in turn the malware escaped into the wild".

A recent research by Symantec found that there has been a 100 per cent increase in the amount of new malicious programs in 2009 compared to a year earlier.?

Posted by Derek Oldman

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