Good evening all,
Today I posted a very important posting on my trading blog:
If you have a yahoo email or member of a yahoo group I would strongly advise you to read it.
If you trade or use any of our services it is essential you read it.
Please go to âBillyâs Trading Blogâ entry;
http://traderscommunity.com/weblog_entry.php?e=448
You can see it there - log on and reply if you like or offer any ideas are greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Billy
I
have reprinted it below.
Billy's Trading blog
A virus in the trading plan!
June 13 2006, 21:03
Well well well .. couldn't work out the weird behavior of the market past few days - losing day yesterday had me dumbfounded.
Now after a little look further it is crystal clear!
I trade on a java based platform - HotspotFxi which has been wonderful until strange things started to happen last Friday - not Monday as Yahoo says.
Could not understand late action, sticking prices, missed orders etc - thought it was world cup etc - damn all from the yahoo worm and hitting emails from people I know!
I would like to thank my friend Orbit for helping me out today and cleaning up my trading computer with all the IE scripts giving me great havoc.
No trading to report today - lost about 6 pips on the Aussie and flat JPY and then stopped when I entered what appeared to be the twilight zone and a lot of swearing from all this.
So it is very clear that your trading machine is kept safe from all possible 'demons' as it were. I will be only opening web based email sparingly and on a off network computer.
Also I am updating all virus/security software and will inform you all tomorrow.
I am just very grateful I stopped trading and solved the problem before I pulled anymore hair out and cost me any more money or opportunity - all good now and I look forward to a new dawn!
Have a great evening.
Well turns out it wasn't the market but the technology - I post the two news reports from today that tell the story.
News Release 1
Yahoo says e-mail worm now contained
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AFX) - Yahoo Inc. said Tuesday it has contained a malicious program aimed at the millions of people who use its e-mail service, which ranks as the world's largest.
The worm, dubbed "Yamanner," infected a recipient's computer as soon as the toxic e-mail was opened. It then scanned contact lists for additional targets, according to security software maker Symantec Corp.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo said "a very small fraction" of its more than 200 million e-mail accounts were infected Monday when the problem was first identified. The worm didn't affect the next version of Yahoo's e-mail service, which remains in its test, or "beta," phase.
"We have taken steps to resolve the issue and protect our users from further attacks of this worm," Yahoo spokeswoman Kelley Podboy said. "The solution has been automatically distributed to all Yahoo Mail customers, and requires no additional action on the part of the user."
As a precaution against variations on the Yamanner worm, Yahoo advised its e-mail users to update their antivirus programs and block all incoming correspondence from av3(at)yahoo.com.
The worm arrived in the form of an e-mail containing JavaScript and contains the words "New Graphic Site" in the subject field, according to Symantec, the maker of Norton antivirus software.
Unlike many worms that require an attachment to be opened, the latest bug was unleashed as soon as the e-mail was opened. It burrowed into e-mail contact lists in search of addresses containing the domains yahoo.com and yahoogroups.com, according to Symantec.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
News Release 2
13 Jun 2006 16:49 GMT
Yahoo Patches Email Security Hole, Stops Virus' Spread
By Riva Richmond
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) said it fixed a security hole that allowed an email virus to spread among users of its Web-based Yahoo Mail service Monday, ending the virus' ability to spread.
The fix was automatically distributed to all Yahoo Mail users, making them immune to the threat. The Sunnyvale, Calif., Internet company said it detected the virus on Monday morning and that it affected only "a very small fraction of Yahoo! Mail users."
"Yahoo! treats security and user protection seriously," said spokeswoman Kelley Podboy in an email. "When we learn of e-mail abuse, such as a worm or other online threat, we take appropriate action."
The malicious program, dubbed "Yamanner" by antivirus-software maker Symantec Corp. (SYMC), was able to spread by using Yahoo Mail contact lists. It took advantage of the previously unknown programming flaw in Yahoo's email system to spread automatically when users opened virus-laden emails. Unlike most email viruses, it wasn't necessary to open an attachment to activate Yamanner.
The virus also harvested addresses in victims' contact lists and sent them to a remote server on the Internet, perhaps in preparation for a future attack, Symantec said.
Yahoo advised its users to update their antivirus software and firewall defenses and to review Yahoo's online guide to computer security at
http://security.yahoo.com/.
-By Riva Richmond, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5670;
riva.richmond@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
06-13-06 1249ET
___________________________
