Unable to deflect the mystery attack of "the
worm," Sobig F, anti-virus experts are now concerned about its long-term implications.
Spreading more quickly than any other piece of "malware" in history, it has infected
countless machines. It is the sixth version of the SoBig virus to appear. Each iteration
of the virus contains an expiration date, after which the virus is programmed to stop
trying to spread. Experts are speculating that the SoBig virus professionals have a
larger goal in mind than flooding inboxes. According to Chris Wraight of Sophos, Inc,
" It's weird that one is released so often, it's almost like beta testing," he noted. The
assault seems to have eased since August 21. (eWeek, 27 Aug, 03)

Security analysts claim the virus hit the Internet so hard because it uses Trojan-horse
applications distributed by earlier variants of the Sobig worm. Infected computers
became hidden proxy servers, allowing the Sobig-F worm to employ spamming
techniques. Sobig-F is designed to stop on September 10, leading analysts to
suspect another variant will appear soon thereafter. Concerned, the analysts continue
digging... http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3066881 ( Internet News, 21
Aug 03)