I recently wrote about the SoBig.F virus and how it has been rampaging across the internet thanks to hundreds or thousands of insecure computers run by people who don't know how to keep their software up to date, don't run anti-virus software, don't have a firewall, or just plain don't care. Now, it appears there's a motive for SoBig.F and if history is to be our guide, this isnt' the last we've seen of the virus.

According to the New York Times article, it is believed by many that the intent of the SoBig.F virus is to create a distributed network of computers that can then be sold out to the highest bidder and be used for sending out spam. Such a network would be impossible to shut down, increasingly hard to filter, and all-in-all, a pain in the ass. It's quite an interesting theory and, while plausible, I don't see it as possible. Eventually, people infected by these viruses will clean their computers and patches released by Microsoft or anti-virus companies will patch the holes in the system. But whereas the viruses that have been spread over the past few months have made no secret that they're sending out massive amounts of e-mail. But in the future, if a virus could spread relatively unnoticed by end-users, it could sit dormant on their machine and just send out spam when told to do so. I'm certain there's tons of computers already out there infected by one kind of trojan or another, and such a program, spread by e-mail could sit dormant until called upon. It's a huge gamble for the virus writers, as the FBI has been investigating the virus already, but if they pull it off, the rewards they reap could be huge.

URL: HoustonChronicle.com - Experts see greed as motive for Sobig