Reuters IM back online after worm attack

International media company Reuters reinstated its instant messaging network on Friday, after shutting it down completely the previous day, when a variant of the Kelvir worm attempted an attack on systems using the IM application. Representatives said that the Reuters Messaging service was reinstated after the company felt its IT workers had sufficiently protected the network from the threat and blocked user access to a site meant to propagate the attack.

While the company declined to comment on how many people may have been affected by the Kelvir threat, Reuters said a handful of customers reported that they had received instant messages bearing the attack, which could be seen as a sign that some RM users had downloaded the pest. In a statement, Reuters indicated that it was likely that other IM networks had been attacked by the same worm.