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A new 'malicious worm' has begun infecting computer systems and threatens to attack on the third day of every month beginning February 3, according to Trend Micro, an anti-virus and content security company.
The dangerous worm spreads via pornographic messages like 'Kama Sutra Pics'. Experts at MicroWorld Technologies have found that Nyxem is set to destroy a large number of files on infected computers on the 3rd of every month.
It shrinks files with extensions .doc, .pdf, .psd, .ppt, .pps, .rar, .xls and .zip to 20 bytes and displays an error message when you try to open them.
Trend Micro, said the new worm - "Nyxem", "BlackMal" and "Mywife" - has already infected hundreds of machines over the past one week, most of unsuspecting users who are yet know their computers have been infected.
The new worm propagates via e-mail attachments and network shares, including popular "P2P" file sharing services.
The e-mail method of transmission employs common social engineering techniques like pictures, pornographic content or even a joke, that would entice the users to open the corresponding attachment, the company said.
Trend Micro has cautioned users not to open e-mails from those they did not know and should not open the attachments even from those they knew unless they were expecting an attachment from that person.
The prime victims are small business houses and home users without up-to-date virus protection. "Turkey, Peru, Italy and India are among the most affected," MicroWorld said.