A virus that affects both Linux and Windows platforms
could be unleashed into the wild.
The security software company Kaspersky Labs and the SANS
Internet Storm Center have reported the appearance of the proof of
concept virus.
They have warned that remote attackers could now be planning to
attack both operating systems at the same time.
There have only been a small number of attempts to distribute a
single virus that targets both platforms at the same time.
Virus writers have instead concentrated on producing specific
threats for each system, usually because it is easier to write
rogue code for a single operating system. But this could now
change, warned both Kaspersky and SANS.
The cross-platform virus has been given the
“Virus.Linux.Bi.a/Virus.Win32.Bi.a” tag by Kaspersky. The virus
only infects those files in the current directory of systems, so is
seen as only a low-level threat.
As more companies adopt Linux, the appearance of more
cross-platform viruses are expected to appear in the wild, said
SANS.