Nearly eight years after the ILOVEYOU virus left us remorseful the morning after, apparently the FBI is warning of another lovestruck-themed attack. As various news reports document in the last 24 hours, according to the FBI we should expect another blow from the Storm Worm on Valentines Day.
Come the 14th, we might expect that the only hearts are broken ones as we are tempted into opening scam love letters in the way of online greeting cards. Be careful who you accept love from, or you'll catch a nasty infection.
But nearly a decade after 'the love bug' took a real toll on our inboxes and hopeful sensitivities we might reasonable ask whether this warning has been a bit hyped. In fact what the FBI reminds us is that the Storm Worm has "capitalized on various holidays in the last year by sending millions of e-mails advertising an e-card link within the text of the spam e-mail".
Not that we WILL be attacked, just a good old warning that we MIGHT be attacked.
Indeed what the FBI points out that given the pattern of behaviour of the Storm Worm, and given that Valentines Day is the next major event likely to have people hoping for an online greeting card we should merely "be on the lookout for spam e-mails spreading the Storm Worm malicious software (malware)".
What they're NOT saying is that they KNOW we're going to be the recipient of a large scale attack. They're NOT saying they have evidence, they are profiling past behavior and projecting forward.
This is valuable advice however we should keep in mind that the best tricks are the unexpected ones. We fall more wholeheartedly for what we aren't expecting. Expect the twist - that is the lesson in security. It is a harder one to explain and a harder one to teach, but it is nevertheless the one that will serve us all better in the long term.
Meanwhile, do be careful online or offline on Valentines Day. It is a jungle for the heart out there, but perhaps not a day you need the FBI to warn you of.
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