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E-mail virus crashes PCs across globe From staff and wire reports Anti-virus companies scrambled to protect their customers against a destructive e-mail attack Tuesday that purported to be a computer screen saver. The virus also hit Rogue Valley personal computers and businesses, which were forced to shut down e-mail programs so anti-virus software could be installed. Security company McAfee reported thousands of its clients sent in copies of the "worm," called "Goner." An Internet worm has the ability to spread to other computers on its own. "It's very harmless looking," McAfee virus research manager April Goostree said. The e-mail has a subject line of "Hi," and asks the user to check a screen saver program, which is attached. If the recipient runs the screen saver, the computer becomes infected. Like many e-mail attacks, it sends itself out to everyone in the victim's address book. It can also send itself through the instant messaging program ICQ. In the Rogue Valley, the worm was showing up with alarming frequency at some businesses - sometimes 50 times a day - said Project A spokesman Steve Mitcel. "The Rogue Valley is experiencing what may be the greatest virus infestation ever," said Charlie McHenry, vice president of the Southern Oregon Telecommunications Technology Council. Computer experts say the virus clutters up the Internet and can make connections sluggish. Large enterprises that work off an intra-net may need to disconnect from the Internet to preserve their internal connections until anti-virus programs have eliminated the problem, McHenry said. McHenry said based on the number of virus hits on his personal computer - five times Tuesday - Goner may be one of the worst outbreaks ever. Mitcel advised that people not open unexpected e-mail attachments, even if the sender is someone familiar, but delete them immediately. Computer users should update their antivirus software at least weekly. In addition to ICQ, Goner affects only Microsoft's Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail programs on computers running Windows. Goner also attempts to delete critical files for any security or anti-virus program the victim might have installed. McAfee has placed Goner on "outbreak" status. The last virus with that status was the "Love Letter" attack, which caused billions of dollars in damages worldwide. "It's moving extremely quickly," Goostree said. "We're getting hundreds and hundreds of samples in a very short time." McHenry said the motivation behind the virus' creation could range from a 14-year-old proving he or she could do it to a terrorist organization seeking to slow down communication. Anti-virus companies received the first samples of Goner from Europe, particularly France and Germany. Ian Hameroff, a business manager at Computer Associates, said about 30 of its clients worldwide reported getting the worm. By Tuesday afternoon, several major anti-virus companies, including McAfee and Symantec, had released updates so their software can detect Goner. On the Net -- Symantec: http://www.sarc.com McAfee: http://vil.mcafee.com Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.