SlashNOT

Matthew writes: Security analysts have determined that a recent malicious e-mail received by employees of a British credit card company was not an indiscriminate attack by an anonymous worm, but a deliberate attempt to infiltrate that specific company with the goal of total global annihilation.

The e-mail, titled “From Russia, with Love”, apparently installed a piece of software that would overdrive the infected computer’s processor, turning each machine into a ticking time bomb, which, in sum, contained enough explosive power to crack the Earth’s crust and set off a chain of volcanoes whose output would darken the sun and cause the Earth to be enveloped in the equivalent of a nuclear winter.

Fortunately, the Her Majesty’s Secret Service caught wind of the exploit hours before it went live, so agents were able to stop the Spyware just prior to setting off thousands of computers simultaneously. Because the hackers had left their server’s address in the Spyware, Agents were able to trace them back to their secret lair in the North Sea, which was destroyed in the ensuing arrest attempt.