Fw: [VS880] Fw: New virus alert !!!

["Bill Cummings" <billcumm@sprynet.com>]

watch out for this virus that's sent out in a word DOC file called LIST.DOC
it's called W97M/Melissa virus .
Bill Cummings
drums@myself.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Oslund <reoslund@capitalnet.com>
To: TheBigList <vs880@emrmail.com>; vlist <vlist@egroups.com>
Date: Sunday, March 28, 1999 9:14 AM
Subject: [VS880] Fw: New virus alert !!!


>Hey y'all !!!
>
>Late breaking news !!!
>
>Be aware this puppy's out there, somewhere !
>
>Peace...      (\/)
>Ron O
>www.capitalnet.com/~reoslund
>Songs of the Big Lists: CD 2, Track 12
>www.vmusicstudios.com
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>There are three kinds of mathematicians:
>The ones that can add and the ones that can't
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>> > ----------
>> > From: Marita Näsman-Repo[SMTP:Marita.Nasman-Repo@DataFellows.com]
>> > Sent: Saturday, March 27, 1999 10:55 AM
>> > To: Oslund, Ron
>> > Subject: Re: add english viruses
>> >
>> > This press release comes from Data Fellows. You have previously
>expressed
>> > interest in our products, or have asked to be included on one of our
>press
>> > release lists by personally giving us your e-mail address for this
>> > purpose.
>> >
>> > If you no longer wish to receive our press releases, or your email
>address
>> > has
>> > been added to our lists without your consent, you may remove yourself
>from
>> > our
>> > mailing lists by replying to this message with the words "remove
>> > <your_address@your_domain.com>" in the Subject line.
>> >
>> > If you only wish to receive our press releases concerning viruses,
>please
>> > reply
>> > to this message with the text  "remove <your_address@your_domain.com>"
>in
>> > the
>> > subject line, and send a second reply with the text  "add virus info
>> > <your_address@your_domain.com>" in the subject line.
>> >
>> >
>> > Media release
>> > For immediate release
>> >
>> >
>> > A new computer virus spread globally within hours of discovery
>> >
>> > Melissa virus infects Word documents, e-mails itself to other users
>> >
>> > Espoo, Finland, March 27, 1999. - DataFellows, one of the world's
>leading
>> > developers of anti-virus and encryption software, is warning computer
>> > users
>> > about a virulent and widespread computer virus found on Friday, March
>26,
>> > 1999.
>> > This virus has spread all over the globe within just hours of initial
>> > discovery, apparently spreading faster than any other virus before.
>> >
>> > The virus, known as W97M/Melissa, spreads by e-mailing itself
>> > automatically
>> > from one user to another. The virus activates by modifying the user's
>> > documents, inserting comments from the TV series "The Simpsons". Even
>> > worse, it
>> > can send out confidential information from the computer without the
>user's
>> > noticing it.
>> >
>> > The virus was discovered late Friday evening European time, early
>morning
>> > US
>> > time. For this reason, the virus spread in the USA during Friday. Many
>> > multinational companies reported widespread infections, including
>> > Microsoft and
>> > Intel. Microsoft closed down their whole e-mail system to prevent a
>> > further
>> > spreading of the virus. The number of infected computers so far is
>> > estimated at
>> > tens of thousands, and rising quickly.
>> >
>> > "We've never seen a virus spread so rapidly," comments Mikko Hypponen,
>> > DataFellows' Manager of Anti-Virus Research. "We've seen a handful of
>> > viruses
>> > that distribute themselves automatically over e-mail, but not one of
>them
>> > has
>> > been as successful as Melissa in the real world."
>> >
>> > W97M/Melissa was initially distributed in an Internet discussion group
>> > called
>> > alt.sex. The virus was sent in a file called LIST.DOC, which contained
>> > passwords for X-rated websites. When users downloaded the file and
>opened
>> > it in
>> > Microsoft Word, a macro inside the document executed and e-mailed the
>> > LIST.DOC
>> > file to 50 people listed in the e-mail alias file of the user. The
>e-mail
>> > looked as follows:
>> >
>> >         From: (name of infected user)
>> >         Subject: Important Message From (name of infected user)
>> >         To: (50 names from alias list)
>> >
>> >         Here is that document you asked for ... don't show anyone else
>;-)
>> >
>> >         Attachment: LIST.DOC
>> >
>> > Most recipients are likely to open such a file, as it usually comes
from
>> > someone they know.
>> >
>> > After sending itself out, the virus continues to infect other Word
>> > documents
>> > which the user accesses, i.e. it is not restricted to the initial
>LIST.DOC
>> > file. Eventually, these infected files can end up being mailed to 
>other
>> > users
>> > as well. This can be potentially disastrous, as a user might
>inadvertently
>> > send
>> > out confidential data to outsiders.
>> >
>> > The virus activates if it is executed when the minutes of the hour
match
>> > the
>> > day of the month - for example 18:27 on the 27th day of a month. At
this
>> > time
>> > the virus will insert the following phrase into the current document
>which
>> > the
>> > user has open in Word: "Twenty-two points, plus triple-word-score, 
>plus
>> > fifty
>> > points for using all my letters.  Game's over.  I'm outta here". This
>> > text, as
>> > well as the alias name of the virus author, "Kwyjibo", are references
to
>> > the
>> > popular "Simpsons" cartoon TV series.
>> >
>> > "The virus won't spread much during this weekend. We will see the real
>> > problem
>> > on Monday morning," continues Hypponen. "When a big company gets
>infected,
>> > their e-mail servers are seriously slowed down and might even crash, 
>as
>> > computers start e-mailing large document attachments without the 
>sender
>> > realising it."
>> >
>> > W97M/Melissa works with Microsoft Word 97, Microsoft Word 2000 and
>> > Microsoft
>> > Outlook e-mail client. It can infect both Windows and Macintosh users.
>If
>> > the
>> > infected machine does not have Outlook or Internet access at all, the
>> > virus
>> > will continue to spread locally within the documents the user 
>accesses.
>> >
>> > Data Fellows provides a free solution to the W97M/Melissa virus
problem.
>> > Evaluation copies of the F-Secure Anti-Virus toolkit as well as an
>update
>> > to
>> > detect and disinfect the virus are available from the company's 
>website
>at
>> > http://www.DataFellows.com
>> >
>> > Data Fellows is one of the world's leading developers of data security
>> > products. The company develops, markets and supports integrated
>> > anti-virus,
>> > data security and cryptography software products for corporate 
>computer
>> > networks. It has corporate headquarters in San Jose, California and
>Espoo,
>> > Finland, with additional offices as well as partners, VARs and other
>> > distributors in over 80 countries around the world.
>> >
>> > For more information, contact
>> > Data Fellows, 675 North First Street, 8th  floor,
>> > San Jose, CA 95112;
>> > tel 408-938-6700; fax 408-938-6701
>> >
>> > http://www.DataFellows.com  or   info@datafellows.com.
>> >
>> > or
>> >
>> > Data Fellows Corporation
>> > Mikko Hyppönen, Manager, Anti-Virus Research.
>> > PL 24
>> > FIN-02231 ESPOO
>> > tel s +358 9 8599 0513
>> > fax +358 9 8599 0599
>> > e-mail: Mikko.Hypponen@DataFellows.com
>> >
>> > http://www.DataFellows.com/
>> >
>> > Note to editors: Screenshots of LIST.DOC, where it all started, are
>> > available
>> > on the Data Fellows web site at the Virus Activation Screenshots
>Archive:
>> > http://www.DataFellows.com/v-pics/
>> >  At 15:21 24.3.1999 -0500, you wrote:
>> > >
>> >
>> > ------------------
>> > Marita Näsman-Repo tel: +358 9 8599 0613
>> > Communicator, Media relations fax: +358 9 8599 0813
>> > mobile: +358 40 517 4613
>> > Data Fellows Ltd. http://www.DataFellows.com
>> >
>> > F-Secure products: Integrated Solutions for Enterprise Security
>> >
>> >
>>
>
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