No one impressed by Badbunny

A virus that attacks StarOffice software is unlikely to pose a major threat as it probably won't make it into the wild.

Instead, this 'proof-of-concept' virus, known as Badbunny. is just the work of a malware author attempting to show off, according to security experts.

The virus, which security firm Sophos reported on earlier this week, downloads a pornographic image of a woman and a man in a rabbit costume.

Mark Harris of Sophos said that the virus was unlikely to pose a significant threat because StarOffice, an alternative to Microsoft Office, is not a widely-used software suite.

Other security firms also picked up on the virus.

"In all likelihood this virus will not be seen in the wild. Such proof-of-concepts are written more to show off the so-called elite skills of the author and are usually submitted to antiVirus vendors by the virus authors to get media attention," said Vinoo Thomas on the McAfee Avert Labs blog.

However, despite the author's desire to show off his or her intelligence, Sophos' Harris was distinctly unimpressed.

"Whatever the motivation, writing malware is not 'clever', on the whole it's not even particularly difficult. My message to the author is, don't bother, get a real job, but don't bother applying to join SophosLabs. In fact, judging by the poor quality of what was submitted, I would recommend a completely different career," said Harris.

http://www.sophos.com/
http://www.mcafee.com/

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