PRESS RELEASE

GLENDALE, Calif., Jan. 26, 2009 - PandaLabs, Panda Security's malware analysis and detection laboratory, today announced that it has detected a new variant of the Waledac Storm worm, the Waledac.C worm, which is using Valentine's Day as bait to spread itself to as many computers as possible.

As is usually the case in this type of attack, Waledac.C spreads by email trying to pass itself off as a greeting card sent for Valentine's Day to the targeted user. The email message includes a link to download the card. However, if the user clicks the link and accepts the subsequent file download they will actually be letting the Waledac.C worm into their computer. For an example of what one of these messages may look like, please access this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/3227767277/

These malicious files have Valentine's Day-related romantic names such as:

youandme.exe onlyyou.exe you.exe meandyou.exe

Once it has infected the computer, the worm uses the affected user's email to send out spam. To do this, it collects all the email addresses stored on the user's computer, and sends them an email message like the one above in order to trick other users into downloading the malware strain.

"The fact that cyber-crooks keep using this technique year after year shows that as old as it may be, it still causes a large number of infections," says Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs.

For more information about this malware strain, go to the PandaLabs blog: http://pandalabs.pandasecurity.com/archive/Waledac-Storm-worm_2E002E002E00_-New-Target_3A00_-Valentine_1920_s-day.aspx

About PandaLabs Since 1990, its mission has been to detect and eliminate new threats as rapidly as possible to offer our clients maximum security. To do so, PandaLabs has an innovative automated system that analyzes and classifies thousands of new samples a day and returns automatic verdicts (malware or goodware). This system is the basis of collective intelligence, Panda Security's new security model which can even detect malware that has evaded other security solutions. Currently, 94 percent of malware detected by PandaLabs is analyzed through this system of collective intelligence. This is complemented through the work of several teams, each specialized in a specific type of malware (viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, phishing, spam, etc), working 24/7 to provide global coverage. This translates into more secure, simpler and more resource-friendly solutions for clients. More information is available in the PandaLabs blog: http://www.pandalabs.com and the Panda Security website: www.pandasecurity.com/usa.