FBI Warns Valentine's Day E-cards Could Contain Virus

The FBI warned on Tuesday that anonymous Valentine's Day e-greeting cards could contain the destructive "Trojan horse" that hijacks computers. If you receive a Valentine's Day greeting unexpectedly, beware!

Be on the lookout for spam emails spreading the Storm Worm malicious software (malware) around Valentine's Day.

"The Storm Worm virus has capitalized on various holidays in the last year by sending millions of emails advertising an e-card link within the text of the spam email. Valentine's Day has been identified as the next target," the FBI said.

The spam email tells the recipient to click on a link to receive the electronic Valentine's Day greeting. If the recipient clicks on the link the malware will infect their computer or the device they used to connect to the Internet. The malware will make their computer a part of a Storm Worm botnet, a network of computers that forwards spam, viruses and malware to other computers linked to the Internet.

Botnets can also be used in identity theft, the FBI warned, urging Internet users not to open Valentine's greetings from unknown senders.