Generally I ask list subscribers to refrain from forwarding info on viruses.
Many are hoaxes. My local TV station says this is not. After the Article,
I have included the URL of a web site you may always go to for information
on viruses and hoaxes. These issues are 1 reason why RootsWeb does not
allow attachments to be sent via the list. Therefore, we do it privately,
one on one-and share viruses that way. Please purchase a good anti-virus
program and then go to the software manufacturer's web site monthly to
update your files. Thank you.
Melissa
(This virus may be sharing my name, but I had nothing to do with it. :))
DANGEROUS COMPUTER VIRUS: Hacker Uses Email March 27, 1999
WESTERN WASHINGTON - An insidious new computer virus is spreading throughout
Western Washington disguised as email from people you know.
"It all looks so innocent. You open your email and look, there's an
important message from someone you know. And so you open it and what you
discover is a list of porn sites," says computer expert George Guempel.
But that's not the dangerous part of this virus. Once you open an attachment
to the email, a computer virus starts analyzing you email address book and
sending the message you just got to everyone on your list, then on to other
computers.
It's called the Melissa Virus. Businesses in our area are in chaos because
it's overloading their systems.
The good news is that the virus does not destroy any programs or information
on your computer. But it is a serious headache.
Guempel is trying to eradicate the virus from the computer system at Aris
Corporation. He had to shut down the email system for all 1,000 employees
until he could erase the virus.
He adds, there's no firewall or anti-virus program that can stop the Melissa
Virus from coming back
This site is one to go to for latest info on real and hoax virus' Computer
Incidence Advisory Capability
CIAC provides on-call technical assistance and information to Department of
Energy (DOE) sites faced with computer security incidents. This central
incident handling capability is one component of all encompassing service
provided to the DOE community. The other services CIAC provides are:
awareness, training, and education; trend, threat, vulnerability data
collection and analysis; and technology watch. This comprehensive service is
made possible by a motivated staff with outstanding technical skills and a
customer service orientation. CIAC is an element of the Computer Security
Technology Center (CSTC) which supports the Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory (LLNL).
http://ciac.llnl.gov/