http://usatoday.com/news/ndssun04.htmTitle: Experts warn of new computer virus
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| 03/28/99- Updated 01:29 PM ET | |||
Experts warn of new computer virusPITTSBURGH (AP) - A new computer virus can allow documents to be e-mailed to other people without warning, a potential security breach that should worry businesses and governments, an expert at Carnegie Mellon University said Saturday.
The ''Melissa macro'' or W97M_Melissa virus spreads via infected e-mail and attacks computers loaded with Microsoft's widely used Word 97 or Word 2000 programs, according to CERT - or Computer Emergency Response Team - Carnegie Mellon's Department of Defense-funded computer security team. CERT first heard of the virus Friday afternoon and its members worked through the night to analyze the virus and develop a fix, CERT manager Katherine Fithen said. ''We're getting so many reports from across the world, that we know this is going to be a huge problem come Monday,'' Fithen said. She noted that since CERT was founded 10 years ago, this is only the second time it has considered a virus important enough to warrant a public announcement. The first, in 1994, warned of a virus that allowed computer burglars to collect passwords. CERT has not determined where the Melissa virus originated. Fithen said she is not allowed to say whether any governmental agency has suffered a security breach as the result of Melissa. Microsoft spokesman Adam Sohn said company programmers worked with CERT and manufacturers of anti-virus programs to develop an antidote. If a computer user opens an infected Word-format document, the virus propagates itself by reading the user's e-mail address book and sending an infected message to the first 50 entries, CERT said. The message can include the contents of any Word document that is open on the computer, Fithen said. Also, the virus reproduces and sends so much unwanted e-mail that the volume can overload some mail servers, the computers that distribute e-mail. However, it apparently causes no direct damage to a computer's memory or programs. Infected documents are sent as attachments to e-mails most frequently bearing a header: ''Subject: Important Message From'' the name of person whose computer relayed the virus. The body of the message says ''Here is that document you asked for ... don't show it to anyone else ;-).'' | |||
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