Malware writers target open source

by admin June 14, 2007 at 6:05 pm

New popularity means new attacks…

The recent OpenOffice worm may be a sign that malware writers are starting to target the increasingly popular open source software, industry experts say.

First discovered last month, the OpenOffice macro-based worm is spread through a file called badbunny.odg. The worm, named SB/Badbunny-A, affects OpenOffice users on Windows, Linux and Mac platforms.

In an interview, Wilvin Chee, research director at IDC’s Asia-Pacific software research group, noted that the OpenOffice worm could be an isolated incident but could also be a sign that malware writers are starting to capitalise on the rising popularity of open source software.

Read more: silicon.com