Sober up! Fast-spreading Sober.i virus spotted by BitDefender Labs

BitDefender Labs have detected a new viral threat, in the shape of a mass mailer called Sober.I (a.k.a W32 / Clonz.a). The virus spreads via e-mail, using spoofed addresses and a variety of social engineering tricks. Chief among these is the fact that it can create e-mails in either English or German, as did the previous version of this piece of malware.

Another trick used is to add a string claiming that the e-mail has been scanned for viruses and found clean. The virus is spreading so fast that analysts warn it may actually crash some mail servers.

“The remarkable thing about this new virus is the amazing speed at which it is spreading. This may prove, once more, that computer users have not learned anything, or too little from past virus outbreak experiences. It’s a highly unfortunate situation, as everyone should become more educated in this regard and understand the importance and advantages of using a proficient antivirus software,” stated Bogdan Dumitru, BitDefender Chief Technical Officer.