Gibe-F and Dumaru-A threaten to strain relationship between PC users and Microsoft

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sydney - November 3rd 2003

This is the latest in a series of monthly charts counting down the ten most frequently reported viruses and hoaxes as compiled by Sophos, a global leader in anti-virus and anti-spam protection for business.

For October 2003, the chart is as follows, with the most frequently occurring virus at number one:

1. W32/Gibe-F (Gibe variant) 22.7% 2. W32/Dumaru-A (Dumaru virus) 13.6% 3. W32/Mimail-A (Mimail worm) 12.4% 4. W32/Sobig-F (Sobig variant) 9.0% 5. W32/Klez-H (Klez variant) 4.4% 21 months in chart 6. W32/Nachi-A (Nachi worm) 4.3% 7. W32/Blaster-A (Blaster worm) 2.4% 8. Troj/CoreFloo-C (CoreFloo Trojan) 2.1% New Entry 9. W32/Bugbear-B (Bugbear variant) 1.6% 10. W32/Rox-A (Rox worm) 1.0% Re-entry Others 26.5%

"This month, the numbers are telling us that we all need to think about pulling our socks up," said Paul Ducklin, Sophos's Head of Technology, Asia Pacific. "The top three viruses are exactly the same as they were last month. Two of these pose as security patches -- and we should all know by now that Microsoft don't distribute updates by email. We should all be patched against Blaster and Nachi by now, but these viruses are still at number 6 and 7. Sobig is at number 4, and this virus was supposed to stop working on 10 September 2003. PCs that are still spreading this virus have their system clock two months out of date. And Klez-H is still at number 5, despite being nearly two years old."

Ducklin reiterates his advice from last month: * block all executables from email attachments to reduce your risk * update your anti-virus regularly and frequently * watch out for bogus emails, especially those claiming to be security

Sophos currently protects against 85,357 viruses.

The top ten hoaxes reported to Sophos during October are as follows:

1. Hotmail hoax 34.9% 2. Meninas da Playboy 12.1% 3. Bonsai Kitten 6.2% 4. JDBGMGR 5.0% 5. Budweiser frogs screensaver 4.4% 6. WTC Survivor 2.9% 7. Frog in a blender/Fish in a bowl 2.8% 8. Bill Gates Fortune 2.7% 9. A virtual card for you 2.6% 10. Welcome to the Matrix 0.7% New Entry Others 25.7%

"A new entry into October's chart is the 'Welcome to the Matrix' hoax," said Ducklin. "The hoax is in French and warns people not to open powerpoint presentations entitled 'Welcome to the Matrix'. Rather like the most common viruses this month, this hoax threatens Microsoft's credibility with some versions claiming to come from a Microsoft security team."

Sophos has made available a free, constantly updated information feed for intranets and websites which means users can always find out about the latest viruses and hoaxes: www.sophos.com/virusinfo/infofeed/

Graphics of the above Top Ten virus chart are available at: www.sophos.com/pressoffice/imgallery/topten

For more information about safe computing, including anti-hoax policies, please visit: www.sophos.com/safecomputing/

news ends

About Sophos Sophos is a world leading specialist developer of anti-virus and anti-spam software. Headquartered in the UK, the company protects businesses and organisations - from small enterprises to governments and global corporations - against viruses and spam. Sophos is acclaimed for delivering the highest level of customer satisfaction and protection in the industry. The company's products are sold and supported in more than 150 countries. www.sophos.com

For Further Information: Rob Forsyth (rob.forsyth@sophos.com.au) is available for comment: +61 417 234 176 (mobile) +61 2 9409 9100 (tel) +61 2 9409 9191 (fax)

Sophos's press contact at Gotley Nix Evans is: Derek Evans (sophos@gne.com.au) +61 2 9957 5555 (tel) +61 410 601 673 (mobile) +61 2 9957 5575 (fax)