Removing Nyxem worm: Beware of attachments

Computer users need a special removal tool to rid their computers of the Nyxem computer worm.

The tool seeks out and neutralizes the worm, says Anja Hartmann from the German Federal Agency for Information Technology (BSI) in Bonn. As the pest can deactivate antivirus software, that software should be reinstalled. The BSI, among other Web sites, is offering the tool for download at http://www.bsi.de.

Nyxem was first identified two weeks ago and is passed via email, Hartmann reports. The subject line of an infected email promises pornographic content.

Clicking on the attached file installs the virus onto the computer, after which the pest automatically forwards itself to all email addresses that it can find. On the third day of each month, Nyxem can overwrite and hence delete all Office files-including Word, PowerPoint or Excel documents-that it finds on the hard drive.

The BSI nevertheless does not rate the virus as a high level pest. The agency estimates that between 300,000 and 800,000 computers worldwide are already infested.

Hartmann recommends regular updates of anti-virus software.

“The current virus signatures already can identify Nyxem, but the older ones cannot.”

Equally important is caution when working with emails: Users should never open attached files if they are not expected.