AMD Only Virus Targets Intel Too

Claims of a virus supposed to be affecting machines with AMD’s 64 bit processors have been rubbished. Peter Ferrie, Senior Security response engineer at Symantec, the author of the original claim had first put it out on his blog. The blog has been changed since.

The fact is that the virus, which supposedly targeted only AMD 64 processors is not restricted to them. The virus actually takes advantage of a vulnerability in Windows x86-64, the 64 bit version of Windows XP and not anything specific in the AMD processors, as pointed out by Richard Baker, AMD’s European channel marketing manager.

The virus affects all x86-64 bit processors i.e. 64 bit processors from both, Intel and AMD. The 64 bit processors from AMD include all their current generation processors using socket 939 and socket AM2 and the EM64T line up from Intel, but will not affect Intel’s Itanium (server level).

So is the virus easy to detect and avoid? According to Ferrie, the virus is not easily detectable though it's easily avoidable by not accepting and running files from untrusted sources. Its more of a proof-of-concept virus, wherein the author tries to show his capability to break into the code rather than make the virus to cause any harm.

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