Orkut, a well known social networking website, has once again hit the news due to “Orkut Virus”. Sources said that the virus or worm which attacked Google’s Orkut was relatively harmless. It seems that its creators wanted to demonstrate that Orkut web site’s users are in danger, even if they do not click on malicious links.

In a warning released by Antivirus maker Trend Micro, Robert McArdle said, “The worm was replicating itself across Orkut, using a Flash object that invokes malicious JavaScipt code. ”

The worm is in the form of a Portuguese language attack that exploits a weakness in Orkut's scrapbook feature to put JavaScript code on a user's page.

The infection starts when, the user is sent an email telling them that they have a new Scrapbook entry --- a type of Orkut message – on their profile from another Orkut user.

Upon visiting their page the user sees the Portuguese text: 2008 vem ai… que ele comece mto bem para vc and once the user views his or her profile, it adds the user to a user group named “Infectados pelo Virus do Orkut”, means “Infected by the Orkut Virus. ”

The worm, which first appeared on Dec. 19, has been spreading through Orkut's Scrapbook system at a rapid pace, infecting more than 650,000 users within a few hours.

Kee Hinckley, blogger of TechnoSocial website said, “It does not appear at first glance that the worm does anything more dangerous than pass itself on to one or more of your friends, I think it unlikely that it would be able to steal your password, although it could potentially access other private information. ”

The worm has also been discussed in Google's Orkut help group, and Orkut Plus, a site that offers Orkut security tips.