Santa’s Worm hits popular IM networks

A Santa Claus worm has hit popular IM networks namely MSN, AOL and Yahoo! and is attempting to trick its users into clicking a file that uploads malicious software to a victims’s computer.

The worm, IM.GiftCom.All, attempts to fool users into thinking that an acquaintance has sent them a link to a harmless Santa Claus file, according to a security advisory by IMlogic.

On clicking the file people will see an image of Santa and will unknowingly get rootkits installed on their computer.

A rootkit is a tool designed to go undetected by security softwares and is used to gain control of a computer after an initial hack. The malicious attacker can then distribute messages to the user’s IM contacts, using a similar technique to lure the unsuspecting acquaintance to click on the link.