Virus writers are targeting a new Microsoft tool that will be part of Windows and is set to ship as part of the next Exchange e-mail server release.
A virus writer has published the first examples of malicious code that targets Microsoft's upcoming command-line shell, code-named Monad, according to Finnish antivirus maker F-Secure. If the technology is included in Windows Vista, these could be one of the first viruses to target the new operating system formerly known as Longhorn, F-Secure said Thursday.
Monad, also known as MSH, is the replacement for the simple command shell in the current versions of Windows. A shell, also called a command line interface, allows a user to give a computer textual commands either from a keyboard or from a script. Monad has much more functionality, similar to shells in competing products such as Bash in Unix. However, by adding the ability to run more-complex scripts, Microsoft could possibly open another door to attackers.
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