Network Associates’ HackerWatch.org Reports Over One Million Systems Infected by the Lovsan Worm
McAfee Security Consumer Experts Recommend Users Employ Both Anti-Virus and Personal Firewall Solutions
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Network Associates(R), Inc. (NYSE: NET), the leader in intrusion prevention solutions, today announced the McAfee Security Consumer division is reporting that over 1.2 million systems have been affected from the Lovsan threat, also know as W32/Lovsan.worm. Using data collected by Hackerwatch.org, a community and collection point for Internet users to share information relating to hacker activity, including viruses, worms and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, McAfee has determined that Lovsan is continuing to spread at a steady rate and is infecting over 30,000 systems per hour during peak times. A detailed graph of the worm’s progress can be found in http://www.hackerwatch.org/checkup/graph.asp .
McAfee Security Consumer recommends that users employ both anti-virus and personal firewall solutions, such as McAfee VirusScan and McAfee Personal Firewall Plus to help ensure their computers are protected against this latest threat.
Using information gathered from McAfee Personal Firewall Plus users, HackerWatch is able to leverage a new feature called “Automatic Event Submission” which allows McAfee to track the number of computer attacks (events) that were blocked by McAfee Personal Firewall Plus in real-time. Based upon recent data, McAfee has seen a significant spike in activity as a result of the Lovsan worm and has determined at least 1.2 million unique source IP addresses have been infected, with over 30,000 new infections reported during peak hours. McAfee continues to monitor the worm’s progress around the globe.
Many users of McAfee Security anti-virus solutions were protected before the threat began to spread. McAfee VirusScan users are urged to update their systems from http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=lovsan .
Since the Lovsan worm spreads quietly, and does not arrive as an e-mail attachment, users may not immediately realize that they have been infected. Some users have reported excessive use of broadband home Internet connections as a symptom. McAfee Security Consumer recommends that users employ a personal firewall, such as McAfee Personal Firewall Plus to block this worm from entering their PCs as well as prevent damage caused by the worm’s buffer overflow.
“With HackerWatch.org, we are able to see, in real-time, the rapid spread of the Lovsan worm on a global scale,” said Bill Kerrigan, senior vice president, McAfee Security, consumer division, Network Associates. “This worm has infected over one million users in a remarkably short period of time, and highlights the need for PC users to make sure they have comprehensive and constantly updated anti-virus and personal firewall solutions on their machines to prevent future attacks from these types of Internet threats.”
For more information on McAfee VirusScan and McAfee Personal Firewall Plus, visit http://www.mcafee.com For more information on HackerWatch.org, visit http://www.hackewatch.org.
McAfee Security Consumer is a division of Network Associates, Inc., that delivers world-class retail and online solutions designed to secure, protect and optimize the computers of consumers and home office users. McAfee’s advanced retail desktop solutions include premier anti-virus, security, encryption, and desktop optimization software. McAfee’s managed Web security services employ a patented system and process of delivering software through an Internet browser to provide these services to users online through its Web site http://www.mcafee.com, one of the largest paid subscription sites on the Internet with over two million active paid subscribers.
About Network Associates, Inc.
With headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., Network Associates, Inc. creates best-of-breed computer security solutions that prevent intrusions on networks and protect computer systems from the next generation of blended attacks and threats. Offering two families of products, McAfee System Protection Solutions, securing desktops and servers, and McAfee Network Protection Solutions, ensuring the protection and performance of the corporate network, Network Associates offers computer security to large enterprises, governments, small and medium sized businesses, and consumers. These two product portfolios incorporate Network Associates’ leading McAfee, Sniffer and Magic product lines. For more information, Network Associates can be reached at 972-963-8000 or on the Internet at http://www.networkassociates.com /.
NOTE: Network Associates, McAfee, McAfee.com, Sniffer, and Magic Solutions are registered trademarks or trademarks of Network Associates, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the US and/or other countries. Sniffer(R) brand products are made only by Network Associates, Inc. All other registered and unregistered trademarks in this document are the sole property of their respective owners.