2005 - 1,124 views, 3 Comments

Summary: A new version of the Sober worm, dubbed "Sober V" is using a new tactic to lure users into opening the email in which it lays in wait: free soccer tickets. Timing its launch with that of a genuine mailing campaign by FIFA, ...

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A new version of the Sober worm, dubbed “Sober V” is using a new tactic to lure users into opening the email in which it lays in wait: free soccer tickets.

Timing its launch with that of a genuine mailing campaign by FIFA, the Federation Internationale de Football Association, which is the international governing body for soccer, Sober V announces itself with promises of free tickets to the upcoming 2006 World Soccer Cup, along with the usual assortment of bounced mail and other message spoofs for which Sober is more commonly known. The FIFA mailing was to soccer fans letting them know that their application for World Cup tickets had been successful. It seems Sober V is an opportunistic worm indeed.

Sober V is also bilingual, sending itself in both German and English. It appears that it actually chooses in which language to present and send itself based on things such as the domain to which it is being sent. Diabolical.

The subject lines in the English versions include:

Re:Your Password
Re:Registration Confirmation
Re:Your email was blocked
Re:mailing error
Re: (with nothing following it)

..while the subject lines in German include the free ticket hooks, and are:

Ihr Passwort
Mail-Fehler!
Ihre E-Mail wurde verweigert
Ich bin’s, was zum lachen ;)
Glueckwunsch: Ihr WM Ticket
WM Ticket Verlosung
WM-Ticket-Auslosung

Sober V’s prediliction for sending itself out advertising soccer tickets has prompted FIFA to send out a follow-up message advising people that email from them, including ticket confirmations, will not include attachments. Sober V email contains an attachment within which the worm resides.

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3 Comments »

I guess some things never change the worm will try anything once to get into your computer???????????

Comment by Brad Johnson — 5/5/2005 @ 10:23 am
Brad, why all the “?”s after your badly written comment ?

Comment by Otis P Drucker — 5/6/2005 @ 8:01 pm
Will they prosecute the author for the value of all the tickets not provided, if caught? Sort of like drug dealers and only jail for tax evasion.

Comment by Greg — 5/6/2005 @ 9:00 pm

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