China Warns That Destructive Panda Virus Has Returned
Dec. 4, 2009
A computer worm that is currently working its way across China's Internet users has been revealed to be an updated version of the Panda Burning Incense virus, which infected millions of PCs three years ago, said a researcher at McAfee.
The original Panda worm, otherwise known as Fujacks, caused widespread damage at a time when public knowledge about online security was minimal, and led to China's first arrests for virus-writing in 2007. The new worm is highly unusual in that it's been designed to make infection harder to detect, Vu Nguyen, a McAfee Labs researcher, said in a media report.
"It has gotten more complex with the addition of a rootkit," said Nguyen. "It definitely makes it more challenging for users to clean up and even to know that their systems have been compromised."
According to McAfee, the new virus is unlikely to be as destructive or hit as many PCs as the first one. Chinese companies and Internet users are much more aware of malware than they were a few years ago, said Nguyen.
