(Associated Press via NewsEdge) Yahoo said it has contained a malicious program aimed at the millions of people who use its email service, which ranks as the world's largest.
The worm, dubbed 'Yamanner,' infected a recipient's computer as soon as the toxic email was opened.
It then scanned contact lists for additional targets, according to security software maker Symantec.
Yahoo said 'a very small fraction' of its more than 200 million email accounts were infected Monday when the problem was first identified. The worm didn't affect the next version of Yahoo's email service, which remains in its test, or 'beta,' phase.
As a precaution against variations on the Yamanner worm, Yahoo advised its email users to update their antivirus programs and block all incoming correspondence from av3(at) yahoo.com.
The worm arrived in the form of an email containing JavaScript and contains the words 'New Graphic Site' in the subject field, according to Symantec, the maker of Norton antivirus software.
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