Saddam Hussein has joined Anna Kournikova and "I Love You" as an email tag line tempting email users to open a virus. Windows users are promised "death pictures" of the old dictator, having failed in an escape attempt. An alternative features pictures of Osama Bin Laden.

Infected email attachments are offered by the Bobax-H worm, as "photographic evidence", of the escape. Additionally it tries to exploit the same vulnerability as the Sasser virus to spread itself.

Once the Windows user is opens the attachment, the worm will load a backdoor email relay module. Spam can then be distributed using the PC.

Sophos, an anti-spam and security company rate the risk from Bobax-H as low.

Related Articles
Security Glossary
Messaging - WORM
Messaging - Spam
Messaging - Quarantine
Messaging - Email
Postini In Magic Quadrant on Email Security