In early February, anti-virus firms warned customers about a computer virus programmed to delete files on the third of each month, but almost every company called the program by a different name.
A month later, the companies still use a hodge-podge of monikers for the program: Blackmal, Nyxem, MyWife, KamaSutra, Blackworm, Tearec and Worm_Grew all describe the same mass-mailing computer virus. The slew of names underscore that while anti-virus companies have been able to agree on the name for some threats, such as the recent Mac OS X worms, at other times, the companies instead go their own way and race to get public acceptance of their name for a particular threat.
Virus Names Likely a Lost Cause
