With all the all the trouble people on the list had with the
Happy virus and Melissa. Thought I'd pass this a long. This ones
seems nasty.
ExploreZip Virus Hits Computers Around The World
By Dick Satran
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A new email-borne computer infection
swept the Internet Thursday, showing up quickly in
thousands of computers around the world and leading to the
shutdown of some corporate e-mail systems.
The new infection, ``called the ExploreZip worm,'' can erase
files from a users' computers, making it inherently more
dangerous
than the Melissa virus, which gained notoriety for its ability
to spread quickly but not because it destroyed any data.
ExploreZip is known as a worm, not a virus, because it can't
replicate itself. Computer viruses such as Melissa, which
appeared
in March, are written with the capability to reproduce through
automation.
But even if it can't reproduce itself, it's spreading its
destructive force quickly, experts said. Computers in the U.S.,
Germany,
France, Norway, Israel and the Czech Republic were invaded, said
Finnish computer security firm Data Fellows Corp.
Network Associates Inc. (Nasdaq:NETA - news), the computer
security firm, said it gave ExploreZip a ``high risk''
classification because the number of incidents doubled overnight
and it has already shown up on thousands of computers. The
company said it believes the worm originated in Israel.
The Melissa virus gained notoriety because it was the
fastest-moving virus ever seen, and another recent virus, the
CIH, or
``Chernobyl'' virus, in April, caused severe damage to a
relatively small number of computers. ``This worm combines the
speed
of Melissa with the destructive payload of the CIH virus,'' said
Wes Wasson, director of anti-virus products at Network
Associates.
The computer bug is cleverly disguised as an e-mail that appears
to be a response to an earlier message, borrowing a page
from Melissa, which appeared as a benign e-mail and
surreptitiously sent messages to other users.
``I received your e-mail, and I shall reply ASAP,'' the
ExploreZip message reads. ``Till then, take a look at the zipped
docs.''
The computer experts warned users to delete that message. Users
who respond by clicking on the attached file will launch the
virus into their computer that will then destroy Microsoft
Outlook, Express and possibly other e-mail related documents.
Leading computer security companies Network Associates
(http://www.nai.com), Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq:SYMC - news)
(http://symantec.com) and Trend Micro Inc.
(http://www.antivirus.com) all have offered virus protection
patches that can be
downloaded from their sites to identify and eliminate the bug.
``Apart from the using the anti-virus software, we just
recommend that people not open any file that they can't verify
the origin
of,'' said a Network Associates official.
The Washington lobbying office of one major U.S. corporation was
hit Thursday, receiving e-mail with the virus that appeared
to be from company officials in other offices. One recipient,
unaware of the malicious nature of the e-mail attachment, ran
the
program and lost numerous files.
``I think that anyone who randomly wipes out people's files is
totally obnoxious,'' the person, who asked to remain anonymous,
said.
At Wall Street brokerage giant Merrill Lynch, the e-mail system
was shut down to protect data after the worm was found on a
computer. ``We learned our lesson with Melissa that you have to
work quickly to avoid problems,'' said a spokeswoman.
Computers at dozens of other companies were reported hit, and
Network Associates said ``consumers at home will be
affected as well.''
-- Mike Williams -- VP Mid-Michigan Mopar Enthusiasts Black T/A -- Register your T/A today via the web page below 99 Black Dakota R/T 99 Black Neon Sedan ACR http://mid-mich-mopars.org
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