GLENDALE, Calif. – A particularly insidious computer worm – the Bugbear.B – is quickly encircling the world, and after just 24 hours, it has infected more computers than the infamous Klez virus attack did in an entire month last year. According to Panda Software, a leading anti-virus vendor, "this dangerous worm opens communications port 1080, which allows hackers to gain remote access to the infected computer." That could open the way to access, of course, to confidential files, including financial information, passwords and the like. "Besides infecting a large number of files," Panda Software said in its alert issued this morning, "Bugbear.B renders many anti-virus and security programs on the affected computer unusable." Panda Software says that according to its support network, more than 400,000 computers in corporate environments could already be affected by Bugbear.B worm since it appeared Thursday. "Due to the high risk of being infected, Panda Software recommends users to be extremely careful with e-mail messages received," the company said. Computer users in general are being advised to update their antivirus solutions immediately.
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