VBS-Loveletter is the name.

Here is the url:

www.antivirus.com/pc-cillin/

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 04, 2000

Answers

It has already done major damage in eastern parts of the world--see the couple of articles on GICC.

-- viewer (justp@ssing.by), May 04, 2000.

I've talked with 3 people this morning whose computer networks are down due to this virus. One in Ontario, B.C. and two in New York. This one's not a joke, folks. If you receive an email with the subject "I love you" or a forwarded email with such an attachment, delete it post haste.

-- (Adelle@work.now), May 04, 2000.

Just received a warning from a friend who is CEO of a couple of dot coms. He says this virus is for real, and very dangerous.

Why would anyone open an attachment from someone they don't know well?

-- (retard@but.happy), May 04, 2000.

I was just hit with the virus... deleted before opening attachments.

-- Ken Decker (kcdecker@worldnet.att.net), May 04, 2000.

Yep, it's out there. I've so far received eight copies from various people I work with. It's one of those that apparently can infect Outlook or Outlook express and send copies to everyone in your address book.

Fortunately, I don't open executable attachements even from people I DO know; looked at it but didn't open it, decided this was way suspicious and deleted it.

-- E.H. Porter (Just Wondering@About.it), May 04, 2000.

http://www.antivirus.com/pc- cillin/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=VBS_LOVELETTER

This is a url for a fix for anyone infected.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 04, 2000.

CNN just reported on the virus at 11:53am:

"If you read the email, no harm is done. If you open the attachment in the email, you are infected."

-- (retard@but.happy), May 04, 2000.

E.H.:

When you look at the link in an email, how to you know whether it's executable or just a jpeg?

Thanks...

-- (retard@but.happy), May 04, 2000.

Note that it uses MS Exchange/Outlook as its vector, so users of Netscape, Lotus Notes, cc:Mail, Eudora, or any other mail package may receive it and be infected, but it won't spread from there.

-- DeeEmBee (macbeth1@pacbell.net), May 04, 2000.

Fortunately, I don't open executable attachements even from people I DO know;

-- E.H. Porter (Just Wondering@About.it),

Wow...how paranoid. You'd have made a great doomer...

-- (@ .), May 04, 2000.

I don't open executable file attachments either; not from anyone. This is not paranoia. Anyone who has ever had a virus doesn't want to get one again. An expensive pain in the butt.

Anyone having trouble getting on Yahoo today?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), May 04, 2000.

Retard -- at least in Outlook Express, if you click on the "paperclip" icon (indicating an attachment), it displays the attachment or attachments but does not open it. Unless I know what an attachment is, or can identify it as belonging to a known harmless class (*.jpg graphics files, *.wpd Word Perfect files, etc.), I delete it.

-- E.H. Porter (Just Wondering@About.it), May 04, 2000.

I havent got it yet, but thanks, will spread word to family members.

I do have a virus scan, have a HP 850 with MVee shield, wont this cover it? I am not computer savy at all.

FWIW, I did get a message in my email yesterday and it was from AOL, clicked on it, forwarded it back to AOL, requesting if it came from them, IT DID NOT...

Scarey stuff to me because I just dont know about this.

Had son download virus on old computer, whoever said it was a pain is RIGHT ON, took hubby 4 hours to fix the darn thing.

Thanks again folks for the heads up.

-- consumer (shh@aol.com), May 04, 2000.

"Wow...how paranoid. You'd have made a great doomer... "

This is definitely NOT paranoia. If you read carefully how this virus is (and many others are spread), this is fact, not fiction or speculation. The virus is spread by one's unsuspecting friends and family. You'd do well forwarding this virus alert to everyone in your address book.

-- (y@x.x), May 04, 2000.

consumer,

Virus scan won't help. This is a brand new virus. All of the virus-scanner companies are working feverishly on a fix as I write this. Most of their web-sites are too busy to get to right now. So, your only defense for now is don't open the attachment.

-- Buddy (buddydc@go.com), May 04, 2000.

"I Love You Computer Virus -- Real"

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0035fK

-- The other thread (about@this.virus), May 04, 2000.

My guess is that I have a number of friends who aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. But then it is nice to be so loved :o). Many copies. And through a filter that was set-up for this virus.

Best wishes,,,,

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 04, 2000.

Thanks, E.H.

-- (retard@but.happy), May 04, 2000.

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/virus_000504.html

-- (one@more.article), May 04, 2000.

"My guess is that I have a number of friends who aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer."

Z, I just sent this virus alert to a who I think is a sharp knive, and he just responded with this:

"not to worry ....My Norton anti virus will stop a silver bullet"

To his credit, he is a technophobe, using a computer reluctantly and clumsily. But he's quite sharp on other things.

-- (y@x.x), May 04, 2000.

It seems when typing a word that exceeds the width of the posting window, the software on this site will insert a newline after a hyphen in that word, which if uncorrected would cause an unwanted space in the resulting post. This seemed to have affected the URL FutureShock had posted of where the virus fix is available. Here's a repost of that URL (hotlinked).

http://www.antivirus.com/pc-cillin/vinfo/viru sencyclo/default5.asp?VName=VBS_LOVELETTER

-- David L (bumpkin@dnet.net), May 04, 2000.

Update from the alerts I sent to my list in my address book:

"ohmigosh I opened it before I heard anything about it. I just hope all the adressees on my mailing list are not getting it from me. I've got to look into it more. Thanks for the message."

-- (y@x.x), May 04, 2000.

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/virus_000505.html

Link

May 5  A computer virus that crippled government and corporate computer networks by disguising itself as an e-mail love letter is now threatening to wreak even more havoc by spreading in an e-mail labeled FWD: JOKE. The experts have their hands full with the latest computer viruses.

The new version could enable the virus to bypass filters that companies set up to block the love letter virus. . . .

. . . .Because the virus replicates so fast and could reappear in new forms, experts said it is likely to continue spreading through the weekend and may not slow down until early next week.

It is growing quickly  and now that the U.S. has opened up, the virus will spread like wildfire, said Mikko Hypponen, manager of anti-virus research at computer security firm F-Secure Corp. It will probably not die out at the weekend as everyone will still be upgrading their systems against viruses, so its unlikely to be quiet until Monday. . . .

. . . .The virus penetrated computer networks at major corporations, such as AT&T, which was forced to shut down an e-mail system serving 145,700 employees. It also struck the Pentagon, the Central Intelligence Agency and Britains Parliament, though it did not affect any classified systems.

In Britain, about 30 percent of company e-mail systems were brought down by the virus, according to Network Associates, a computer security firm. In Germany and in Sweden, 80 percent of computer were hit.

-- (new@news.now), May 05, 2000.

David-

Thanks for hotlinking my url.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 05, 2000.