If you allow your friends to connect their USB drives and MP3 players to your Windows computer, now would be a great time to make sure your security software is updated. A recently discovered worm called "Deletemusic" travels via removable disks and spreads to every disk on a machine. When you restart, all files ending in ".mp3" -- whether you ripped them from your CDs, purchased them from eMusic, or download them via BitTorrent -- are deleted.
Symantec has classified the worm's risk factor as "very low," and major antivirus software packages already have the patch. If you think you're at risk, the company recommends that you:
(The same rules apply for users of other antivirus packages.)
Nobody has taken credit for the worm at this point, and some have speculated that it's part of some sort of RIAA-related MP3 deletion campaign. Perhaps it is, but if so, they're going to have to cover their tracks pretty well. Despite its low risk rating, this worm has the potential to delete billions of dollars worth of legitimately-acquired music, and it's hard to imagine RIAA member companies putting themselves at that sort of risk.
On the other hand, they do say that desperate times require desperate measures...
(via the register; image from sbi-secureit)
