Melissa Virus Warning

[Guest guest]

Greetings:

 

The Melissa Virus described below will affect your computer and mailing

systems if you open up the virus attached file prepared using Microsoft

Word. Hopefully, we don't need to worry because we send text files and

are not likely to be affected!

 

Ram Chandran

List Moderator

 

====================================================================

Many of you may already have heard of the Melissa virus spreading like a

wildfire through many corporations already

since Friday, with just a few precautions, you can prevent a possible

crashing of yours and other's email

servers...please read the following stories for suggestions on how to

protect yourself.

 

http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/story/story_3233.html

 

http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/special/melissavirus.html

 

http://www.msnbc.com/news/253803.asp

 

Some Basics:

A malicious virus is poised to overwhelm the Internet today. Beginning

on Friday, "Melissa" first defeated major

corporations such as Microsoft and Intel. Over the weekend, it spread to

other companies and universities. Left

unchecked, it could infect millions of computers in a matter of days.

Here's my advice:

Understand the problem

Disinfect your computer and your company

Take steps to protect yourself in the future

WHO'S AT RISK You can be infected if you use:

· Microsoft Word 97 or Word 2000 for word processing and

· Microsoft Outlook for email (Outlook Express, however, is not

affected)

Millions of people use this combination. If you're one of them, then you

could be in trouble. In fact, you may be in

trouble already without realizing it.

HOW MELISSA WORKS Melissa is a so-called "macro" virus. It resides

inside a Word document attached to an email. If you

open the document, it will try to run the malicious macro. If you permit

that macro to run...

You're screwed.

Melissa then sends a copy of the document to the first 50 people in your

address book. And now they're in danger too.

Melissa propagates so fast, it can quickly overwhelm mail servers. Even

worse, it can send out secret company

information to outsiders.

HOW MELISSA DAMAGES YOU AND YOUR COMPANY Melissa doesn't delete files or

trash disks. Rather, it overwhelms mail

servers as it propagates itself. The first time it sends out 50 infected

messages. Those 50 can potentially spawn

another 50 each, for a total of 2,500. Those 2,500 can theoretically

launch 50 more... and so on.

Delete offending emails. Scan your inbox and all other folders for

messages whose subject line begins "Important

message from...." Delete them if they include an attachment.

(Attachments show as a paper clip in the left column.)