If you’re using Norton AntiVirus for Macintosh, you’ll probably be interested in Symantec’s latest virus definitions file update. It now features the information needed for NAV to detect and eliminate the recently discovered Mac.Simpsons@mm worm.
As MacCentral first reported last week, Mac.Simpsons@mm is designed to exploit a security hole in both Microsoft’s Outlook Express and Entourage e-mail clients. Mac.Simpsons@mm is an AppleScript worm that is sent along with an e-mail file, instructing the reader to double-click on the attachment in order to receive access to “secretly produced” (and, of course, non-existent) episodes of the popular animated television series, The Simpsons.
Once executed, the Mac.Simpsons@mm worm will resend itself and the message to all entries in the user’s address book. It also moves all sent mail to the deleted items folder and copies itself into the Mac OS’s Startup Items folder.
There are manual ways to get rid of the worm (outlined in the link above). Users who don’t launch the AppleScript and just delete the e-mail won’t suffer the problem, either. But if you have NAV installed, this should give you an extra level of protection.