NakedWife worm/virus (2001)

CATEGORY: Media flops, media fiascoes

The NakedWife worm/virus is a real-but-overblown threat. Vmyths.com now classifies it as a media flop.

ZDNN cybercrime correspondent Rob Lemos wrote "[it] may have started spreading from the U.S. military." However, some experts think NakedWife originated in Brazil. Still, a headline on ZDNN's sister service in England proclaimed "NakedWife virus spreads from US military."

Lemos' story quoted Pat Nolan (Network Associates), who said "at the onset, (those infected were) strictly military." Vmyths.com has learned the U.S. military was among the first to submit it to antivirus vendors for analysis — yet a reliable source at the Air Force Computer Emergency Response Team insisted the original NakedWife attachments came from infected non-military sources.

Nolan later admitted as much in Lemos' story: " 'It is not known at this time if it originated with the military,' he said. 'It may be that the first person to be infected knew someone in the military.' "

As usual, talking heads popped out of the woodwork (complete with press releases) in an attempt to exploit NakedWife's publicity value.

Newswires seem to agree NakedWife caused little damage in Europe, but journalists disagree over its U.S. impact. However, it appears the media dropped NakedWife a mere 30 hours after they thought it would destroy the Internet.

Did this dire threat to computing pose any real danger? The antivirus industry quietly turns to MessageLabs when they need realtime data about malicious emails. MessageLabs spokesman Alex Shipp told a reporter his firm found only "63 copies of the virus" across three continents (including North America). Such a low number does not indicate a rampant threat.

Yet it appears the press wants some credit for saving the computing world. eWEEK reporter Grant Du Bois claimed "Naked Wife has died down because of early media reports and the rapid response of anti-virus companies to update their anti-virus definition and signature files." IDG reporter James Evans likewise claimed NakedWife "was contained quickly this week with the aid of technology, corporate assistance, and media coverage."

Last updated: 2001/3/13