CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: VIRUS 'MELISSA' STRIKING COMPUTERS THROUGH E-MAIL ATTACHMENT (COLUMN 133)

The Internet is buzzing today about a damaging computer virus called "Melissa." It appears this virus is real and far-reaching.

Melissa usually contains the words "important message" on your subject line and sometimes ends with a winking emoticon ;-)

The body of the e-mail message includes "here's that document (or message) you asked for" and "don't show it to anyone else."

The message might appear to come from someone you know because the virus raids address books. It is hitting people with Microsoft Outlook Express, which appears to be the most vulnerable.

Joni: If you open the message, you may still be safe. Just don't open the attachment. When you do, the virus potentially will be sent up to 50 people from your address book. That's wicked. You unwittingly slam your friends, or former friends as the case may be.

Peggy: We always advise to never open any unsolicited attachments. That's where viruses can hide. This virus causes damage only by duplicating itself and flooding e-mail accounts.

Joni: It could basically shut down e-mail servers. However, the virus doesn't seem to damage computers. E-mail is big business. According to recent reports, we send an estimated 2.2 billion e-mail messages EACH day. That compares to 293 million pieces of first-class mail.

Peggy: Microsoft, ironically, was among the first companies hit by the virus. Several anti-virus companies have posted information and patches on their sites.

Joni: Viruses are nothing new. The first were discovered in the 1980s and more than 10,000 are known to exist. Some six to nine new ones are discovered every day.

Peggy: Some online organizations spend their time analyzing viruses. Among them is the Computer Emergency Response Team at Carnegie Mellon University.

www.cert.org

Joni: This team issues a variety of security alerts, but because it was founded a decade ago, this is only the second worldwide warning it has issued.

Peggy: Luckily, this virus isn't as bad as some. The Michelangelo virus from a few years ago wiped out entire hard drives.

Joni: Melissa is preying on Microsoft Word 97 or Word 2000. It's new. It was first reported last Friday. The virus needs some human action to spread the virus, such as opening the attached document.

Peggy: I wonder if viruses are named like hurricanes? If you want to know exactly how the virus works, you can read about it from CERT in very technical language. Interestingly, it not only can duplicate itself, it can also duplicate other documents from your computer. CERT also gives you a lot of good links for even more information on the virus.

Joni: Some well-known virus protection sites are on alert also. Let's visit some. They are very busy today, so expect some delays and have a little patience.

Peggy: Most virus scanners will detect and eliminate this kind of bug, but to protect your computer you must keep virus scanning programs up to date. That means downloading the upgrades on a regular basis. Let's visit McAfee's Web site.

www.mcafee.com

Joni: You can download free trial versions of the anti-virus program. I would recommend trying out a couple different ones to see which you like best.

Peggy: At McAfee, they also have news about Melissa. Information is also available from Symantec, makers of Norton Anti-Virus.

www.symantec.com

Joni: They have a patch for Melissa, which is also known as "Mailessa." They also provide information in French, Italian, Japanese and German.

Peggy: You can read the virus encyclopedia, virus hoaxes, and you can submit virus samples for study.

Joni: There is something to be said in favor of Macintosh. Most viruses, the Y2K crisis and other scourges of the Internet seem to hit PCs much harder. The infamous Michelangelo didn't infect Macs.

Peggy: The majority of viruses are harmless. Others are annoying, slowing down your system. But more deadly viruses can cause crashes and lost data.

Joni: Sometimes viruses lurk in memory before becoming active, making it hard to determine the cause of the problems.

Peggy: Let's go to the experts at Microsoft for their Melissa advice.

www.microsoft.com

Joni: Right up top they have advice on how to protect yourself from the Melissa virus.

Peggy: Microsoft points out that Word 97 and Word 2000 will protect you from macro viruses like Melissa providing macro virus protection is turned on. It is the default. Microsoft also recommends running anti-virus software often. They recommend certified virus scanning companies and list a number of them on the Microsoft Web site.

Joni: They tell you some things to look for if you have already picked up the virus. They have lots of good information. The creator of Melissa should beware. If you make Microsoft mad, I would think it could and would hunt you down.

Peggy: I wouldn't want to take on the Microsoft empire. Let's take a look at breaking news about technology, and Melissa, at Hot Wired.

www.hotwired.com

Joni: They say don't mess with Melissa. And they warn that the FBI is on the case. Spreading a virus is a criminal offense, and the government is investigating how Melissa began.

Peggy: This is the first time the FBI's computer crimes center has issued a warning about a computer virus. I'm sure Hot Wired and other online information sources will be tracking Melissa's progress over the next few days.

Joni: If you get tired of reading about Melissa, you can watch the Animation Express at Hot Wired, which is pretty funny. You can also read about the White House Web site outage on Sunday. Was it anti-NATO hackers or hardware failure as the government claims?

Peggy: If any of you were hit by the Melissa virus, please let us know. E-mail us at click@semissourian.com

See you in Cyberspace.

~Peggy Scott and Joni Adams are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.