Melissa virus goes global

Published: 31 March 1999 y., Wednesday
MeThe Melissa computer virus, discovered only last Friday,has spread itself by e-mail around the world and is causing havoc for large corporations, according to security experts.It is just a macro virus but it has this additional feature of being able to get around quick.Melissa conceived in sex group Dr Solomon_s VirusPatrol, which checks newsgroups on the Net for developing viruses, discovered Melissa in a sex newsgroup on March 26.The New York Times reported that several major US corporations shut down their mail servers on Friday night as they became overloaded with messages created by the virus.Comments inside the macro virus identify it as "Melissa...by Kwyjibo." Computers become infected when users receive a particular e-mail and open a Word document attached to it.The e-mail is headed: "Important Message From" and contains the sentence: "Here is that document you asked for...don_t show anyone else ;-)." the attachment is usually called list.doc.If the user launches the document, their computer becomes infected, although the worst thing that can happen apparently is if it is launched when the day equals the minute value...such as 29 minutes past on the 29th, the following message appears:
" Twenty-two points, plus triple-word-score, plus fifty points for using all my letters. Game_s over. I_m outta here." When the document attachment is launched, a program is created which replicates the e-mail and sends it to the first 50 addresses in the Global Address Book of users running Microsoft_s Outlook personal organiser. Microsoft, Network Associates and other anti-virus and computer security companies have issued warnings and are supplying fixes for Melissa.
Šaltinis: Internet
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

Wincor Nixdorf expands consulting competence in business intelligence

Wincor Nixdorf is enhancing its consulting portfolio for the banking business. more »

PC/E Cash Management Guarantees Optimal Cash Management

Wincor Nixdorf is set to present its ProClassic Enterprise Cash Management software for effective and rational organization of end-to end cash management processes in banks at the Retail Delivery Show. more »

Yahoo CEO to resign

Yahoo said Jerry Yang will step down as chief executive as soon as the board finds a replacement. more »

Wincor Nixdorf: Opportunities even in the financial market crisis

Wincor Nixdorf AG has turned in the best year in its history. more »

Visa offers payWave contactless payment to transit operators

Visa Inc. is working with the Los Angeles transit authority to allow train, subway and bus riders to pay fares with Visa’s payWave-enabled contactless cards. more »

Google's phone debuts

Customers line up in New York City to be the first to buy Google's new G1 phone. more »

A safer internet for children

Children and teenagers are keen internet users - 12 to 15-year-olds spend at least three hours a day on screen - but are not always aware of the dangers: not just sites showing child pornography or violence but also the risk of bullying or grooming. more »

Switching off CO2

A European Commission study found that devices left on stand-by throughout the European Union in 2005 consumed the same amount of electrical energy as a country the size of Greece or Portugal in 2008. more »

European Commission launches “Study in Europe” website to promote European higher education

The European Commission has launched a new web portal called “Study in Europe” to promote the attractiveness of European Higher Education to students from other parts of the world. more »

Protecting Europe's children from internet dangers

With the increasing availability of the internet, children are being exposed more and more to illicit images and content. more »