Bagle Worm Spreads Unabatedly

Commtouch Software, provider of anti-spam and zero-day threat protection has announced via an online report that the Bagle Worm has covered three years in March this year. The sustenance of the malware called Bagle or Beagle that spreads through e-mails is its continuous ability to beat most anti-virus software. Tech.monstersandcritics published this on March 7, 2007.

The Bagle Worm appears in intense and large waves distributing thousands of infected e-mails each day spreading malware across the Net. Such is how the Bagle Worm afflicts the Internet consistently since it first defeated many anti-virus programs unable to protect its growth.

Commtouch Software analyzed the phenomenon release of the worm in the first week of March to declare that its Virus Detection Research Lab (VDRL) found the mass mailing worm to release an average of 625 new variants each day or approximately 1,000 on days with maximum releases. It said that since the start of 2007, the total number of new editions stand more than 30,000. Techworld.com published these results on March 6, 2007.

To arrest the numerous Bagle worm variants AV vendors need to issue a distinct signature as opposed to the existing ones that are unable to keep abreast with them. The report notes that the active sustenance of this malware so far has been due to its low-volume attacks.

But the recent surge of 30, 000 exclusive new variants indicates Bagle has taken up the server side polymorphic form that is throwing out huge waves of the variants, points out Haggai Carmon, VP of products with Commtouch. Server-side polymorphic technique is capable of penetrating traditional anti-virus solutions.

Malware creators distribute small quantities of each variant. Since an anti-virus supplier needs a malware sample to test it in its laboratory, the low-number distribution enables the variant worm to get past conventional anti-virus engines.

Spam and botnets that help spread malware have kept Bagle alive. These days a Bagle variant attack has many other attachments in its package that makes attacks even effective. The first appearance of Beagle worm was in 2004. Since then it has consistently stayed in the monthly malware charts.

Related article: Bagle Replaces Rustock to Become the Greatest Generator of Spam

» SPAMfighter News - 3/22/2007