Winners of 10,000 MP3 players given away in a Japanese fast-food promotion got more than they bargained for, as their prizes contained a worm. If they connect the music players to their computers to fill them with songs then the worm, WORM_QQPASS.ADH, can infect the computers and steal personal data.McDonald’s Holdings (Japan), the Japanese subsidiary of the U.S. fast-food chain, warned prize winners about the infected players Friday. It offered a Web link to software provided by Trend Micro that can remove the worm from infected computers, and invited winners to return their MP3 players for a free replacement.The worm spreads from the MP3 player to other removable drives on computers running Microsoft’s Windows operating system, and attempts to disable some antivirus applications. If it finds the QQ Instant Messenger application running, it attempts to steal account log-in information and other chat details, and transmit them by e-mail. The QQ Instant Messenger service is popular in China and South Africa.McDonald’s ran the MP3 player promotion from Aug. 4 to Aug. 31, and sent the prizes to 10,000 winners in late September, according to its Japanese website. Trend Micro first received samples of the worm on Sept. 29, according to its website. It rates the risk of damage to a computer infected by the worm as high, but the overall risk as low, given the small number of infections reported so far. -Peter Sayer, IDG News Service (Paris Bureau)(Martyn Williams, in Tokyo, contributed to this report.) Related Links: Spamta Worm Sparks 200 Incidents in 2 Hours New AIM Worm May Prove Tough to Exterminate Yahoo Messaging Worm Installs Bogus BrowserCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe