Storm e-mail worm evolves as it wreaks havoc on Net - Byron Acohido, USA TODAY

Like a summer cyclone gathering force, the Storm e-mail worm is casting an expanding shadow on the Internet. Storm first spread to e-mail in-boxes in Europe and the USA in January — enticing recipients to click on a link for a fake news story about a deadly storm or other dramatic event. Clicking on the link turned the PC over to Storm's controller. As security companies began blocking such e-mail, Storm instead started sending out links to tainted e-cards purportedly from family or friends. "It's the perfect example of the cat-and-mouse game where the author modifies the threat to stay ahead," says Ben Greenbaum, senior research at anti-virus supplier Symantec.

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