There is a new and virulent computer virus. DON'T OPEN IT!!

It arrives as an email from someone you know, is titled "Homepage", and has text along the lines of "You've got to see this. It's really cool!" (until some bright spark alters that).

It has an attachment which is the virus (technically a "worm"), written in the computer language "Visual Basic", and the file has a file extension of .VBS . It is running/opening/clicking on the attachment that actually runs it, but because some browsers might open attachments automatically (particularly if your computer has been infected before) it's better to just totally delete the message unopened.

This thing is spreading like the Melissa and Love Letter things before it, or more so. Don't be caught. Be careful of any unexpected attachment to an email - check to see whether the person who seems to have sent it knew about it.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), May 09, 2001

Answers

THERE'S WORSE.

If you are using Microsoft Outlook Express and you have the message "preview" option enabled (so that you see any message you highlight automatically), then the virus / file attachment will be executed automatically if you select the message. Please turn Outlook Express preview off - permanently (this weakness has been used before).

To satisfy your curiousity, I am informed that the virus will "show one of four randomly selected porn sites, and send itself to everyone in your email address book".

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), May 09, 2001.

Thank you Don, for letting us know. Yes, everyone turn the preview pane off in their Outlook! That way you can click once to highlight, and then delete. I have to double click to open anything. And everyone Update! Thanks again Don, I hadn't heard of this yet.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), May 09, 2001.

Only an issue if your running outlook and have the preview option on. This should have been turned off after the first 40 or so virus used it to infect machines.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), May 09, 2001.

badtrans is also going around, to learn about it, run a check and to also patch your antivirus go to

http://security1.norton.com/us/intro.asp?venid=sym&langid=us

Though I had just ran an upgrade on my Norton, I was able to get this, with Norton not even identifying it even though I knew from this site I had it, and also could see the infected Window files, it sends you emails from folks you know, opening the attachment gives you the virus, though not immediatly. Waits till you log down, then when you log back on, it waits 5 minutes, then copies the inbox and sent emails and sends everyone the virus. Though Norton says it fairly benign, since it is so prevalant right now it is given Level 4 status. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), May 09, 2001.

okay, I did it before but I cannot find the preview selection. Someone please help me. I search everywhere on my Outlook and am probably overlooking it. Thanks

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), May 09, 2001.

VIEW, LAYOUT, and uncheck PREVIEW PANE.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), May 09, 2001.

In outlook select view then layout then uncheck (show preview pane).

-- skunk cabage (theroughcut1@hotmail.com), May 09, 2001.

Don, I am not sure why you would have to uncheck the preview option. If the virus is coming as an attachment, until you "open" the attachment the virus should be contained. Just highlighting the message title should not open the attachment. I have been "sent" a few virus associated with attachments, which is why EVERY attachment, even those sent by my best friends, is downloaded to a floppy and scanned with my CURRENT DAILY UPDATED antivirus program. Then if a virus is present I just delete, delete, delete. No problem.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), May 10, 2001.

Well, we seem to have survived that one. Timing (24 hours) was such that it hit Australia particularly badly - reached us at the beginning of our business day. Fortunately, it wasn't particularly malicious - designed to overload the web rather than destroy people's data.

Diane, preview off is because these particular types of viruses are executed automatically by Outlook Express when it shows the document. Written in .VBS (Visual Basic Script), which CAN be executed by just about anything from Microsoft Office, but WILL be executed automagically by Outlook Express - just an enormous security hole in Outlook Express. Things are different with Outlook 98 or 2000.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), May 12, 2001.

Thanks Don....Just had my computer for a little over a year and I am running Windows 98 second addition. Didn't know about the earlier program glitches. Now I understand.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), May 12, 2001.

thank you

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), May 13, 2001.