A new self-mailing worm, named Goner, emerged yesterday. MessageLabs an anti-virus organisation reports over 30,000 copies have been stopped and one in thirty emails carry the worm. This makes Goner comparable to the infamous LoveBug.

Despite this high number of infections it's surprising that the worm has managed to spread so far due to its un-original subject line that never changes – “Hi” – and the body text that reads “How are you? When I saw this screen saver, I immediately thought about you I am in a harry, I promise you will love it!” Sounds familiar?

If a user opens the attachment, the worm will self-spread itself to everyone in the users address book. The worm also attempts to disable anti-virus software and firewall applications.

2001 has seen a significant increase in infectious emails containing viruses or worms. Users are reminded to NEVER open emails from unknown sources.