In 2003, the Fizzer worm took advantage of the growing peer-to-peer file-sharing trend, spreading across Kazaa and beyond. What seemed like a harmless music download on Limewire could turn into a backdoor for hackers. In this episode of In The Shell, I share my personal experience with file sharing on my Blue Dell Inspiron 1100 and how I unknowingly encountered malware for the first time. We’ll explore the origins of the Fizzer worm, its unique ability to auto-update, disable antivirus software, and install keyloggers to steal personal information.

I’ll explain how Fizzer spread through file-sharing platforms and network shares, how it spoofed emails, and the sophisticated techniques it used to stay one step ahead of antivirus programs. From peer-to-peer networks to corporate environments, Fizzer’s reach was global—and the impact on users was profound.

//DON'T JUST HOST YOUR PODCAST, OWN IT

🟡 Yellowball is a podcast hosting service I built to give podcasters more control and less nonsense. Whether you’re starting fresh, moving your show over, or just curious, check it out at https://yellowball.fm.

//REFERENCES

https://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/fizzer.shtml

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/threats/malware-encyclopedia-description?Name=Win32%2fFizzer

https://www.kaspersky.com/about/press-releases/fizzer-a-multi-threat-worm-that-attacks-via-e-mail-and-kazaa

https://www.infoworld.com/article/2234751/fizzer-worm-spreading.html

https://threats.kaspersky.com/en/threat/Email-Worm.Win32.Fizzer/

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2003/05/13/fizzer-e-mail-worm-is-spreading-at-an-alarming-rate/

http://virus.wikidot.com/fizzer

https://www.giac.org/paper/gcih/450/w32-fizzera-analysis-infection-prevention-handling/103564