Sasser internet worm causes chaos

A fast-spreading computer worm called "Sasser" hit computers around the world yesterday, causing infected systems to reboot without warning and disrupting banking and other business in one of the biggest virus-like attacks on the internet since the last northern summer.

Unlike previous internet worms, Sasser enters and infects vulnerable PCs without any action on the part of the user.

Computer security companies were also warning about an email, claiming to be from an antivirus company with an attachment purporting to fix Sasser infections, that was a new form of the widespread, email-clogging Netsky virus.