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new virus warning...



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Experts at Carnegie Mellon University warn of new computer virus
March 27, 1999
Web posted at: 4:58 PM EST (2158 GMT)


PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A new computer virus can allow documents to be e-mailed
to other people without warning, a potential security breach that should
worry businesses and governments, an expert at Carnegie Mellon University
said Saturday.

The "Melissa macro" or W97M_Melissa virus spreads via infected e-mail and
attacks computers loaded with Microsoft's widely used Word 97 or Word 2000
programs, according to CERT -- or Computer Emergency Response Team --
Carnegie Mellon's Department of Defense-funded computer security team.

CERT first heard of the virus Friday afternoon and its members worked
through the night to analyze the virus and develop a fix, CERT manager
Katherine Fithen said.

"We're getting so many reports from across the world., that we know this is
going to be a huge problem come Monday," Fithen said.

She noted that since CERT was founded 10 years ago, this is only the second
time it has considered a virus important enough to warrant a public
announcement. The first, in 1994, warned of a virus that allowed computer
burglars to collect passwords.

CERT has not determined where the Melissa virus originated.

Fithen said she is not allowed to say whether any governmental agency has
suffered a security breach as the result of Melissa.

If a computer user opens an infected Word-format document, the virus
propagates itself by reading the user's e-mail address book and sending an
infected message to the first 50 entries, CERT said.

The message can include the contents of any Word document that is open on
the computer, Fithen said.

Also, the virus reproduces and sends so much unwanted e-mail that the volume
can overload some mail servers, the computers that distribute e-mail.

However, it apparently causes no direct damage to a computer's memory or
programs.

Infected documents are sent as attachments to e-mails most frequently
bearing a header: "Subject: Important Message From" the name of person whose
computer relayed the virus.

The body of the message says "Here is that document you asked for ... don't
show it to anyone else ;-)."

___

EDITOR'S NOTE: CERT information about the Melissa virus is available on the
Web at http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-99-04-Melissa-Macro-Virus.html.
Microsoft has a patch available at
http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/ms99-002.asp.

Copyright 1999 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



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