Windows OS users have been warned to keep their antivirus software updated following the exposure of a vicious new worm.Windows users have been warned to watch out for a vicious new worm which affects a PC’s operating system.

 The worm appeared soon after Microsoft warned of the three new critical security flaws, which the latest Windows Update had supposedly fixed. The new worm uses holes in the security of Windows 95 all the way through to XP and will allow malicious attacker’s access to your PC.

Security Company Trend Micro said in a release, “hundreds of infection reports were sighted in the United States and Germany.” Supposedly the infection is spreading, and quickly.

The worm burrows itself into your windows system folder as BOTZOR.EXE and tinkers with the system host file to stop users from getting access to security websites. It can connect itself up to IRC and give attackers control over your system.

The big security companies are warning to leave your firewalls on high alert and to keep your anti-virus software updated.

The worm, Zotob is based on the well-documented Mytob family of worms, most of which were designed to turn infected computers into “zombies” that attackers can use to send spam, install spyware, attack others online and harvest the victim’s personal information.

Many Internet service providers now block traffic like that generated by the Zotob worm, so it probably will not spread nearly as fast or as disruptively as it would have a year or two ago. Nevertheless, if you do not have the most recent Windows patches installed, now would be an excellent time to pay a visit to Microsoft Update and install all of the fixes it says your computer needs.