Virus warning: Sober at Christmas

The idea of getting sober at Christmas may sound like a nightmare in itself for any hardened reveller set on a booze-fuelled yuletide but now that idea has a far more worrying double meaning - with the arrival of a variant strain of the Sober virus.

Sober.C is already doing the rounds intent on delivering a few surprises - and it doesn't care whether you've been naughty or nice.

Major anti-virus vendors have upgraded the mass-mailing malware which will forward itself to email addresses stored on a victim's machine and the approach of Christmas may work in favour of the virus, increasing its impact.

Jack Clark, product manager at McAfee, said: "So far we are not seeing Sober.C in the same kind of number as some of out other infections this year but any virus which strikes over Christmas can become a real problem."

New users, logging on for the first time, are most at risk according to Clark.

"Any virus around Christmas will affect new users. An inexperienced user faced with a virus bearing email is far more likely to double click."

That's especially as the attachments may appeal to somebody putting their new PC through its paces.

Using it's own SMTP engine the virus has the ability to change subject lines, which may appear in English or German to evade easy detection, and there are also a whole host of potential attachment names - many promising free games or online gaming, which may appeal to first time computer users or returning workers with post-Christmas blues.

Clark identifies the latter group as another threat - particularly to businesses.

"Over any Christmas period there are going to be inboxes full of infected files," he said warning companies to be extra careful when switching on again after the Christmas period - especially as many staff may still be a little 'off their game' after the festive revelry.

The message is simple, says Clark, insisting that companies can't take their eye off the ball just because Santa is in town. "Unfortunately a company's anti-virus admin doesn't get time off at Christmas," he said, because the virus writers certainly aren't putting their feet up.

Although Sober.C may not be one of the year's biggest outbreaks, Clark says it is certainly one of the most interesting, and most difficult to repair, thanks to a "very clever dual process", which means when one infection mechanism is shut down another is triggered.

In fact, this device has a number of big-name AV firms flummoxed - though Clark declined to name and shame vendors who are "failing" their customers.

As such users and companies are urged to check with their own AV provider whether they are protected before they even contemplate settling down in front of the fire for Carols from Kings on the wireless and a glass of sherry and a mince pie.