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Current
Virus and Security Issues From time to time virus and security issues come up in the discussion on the helpnet-list, or are faced by Helpnet members. When the issue appears to be of general and long-lasting interest. it will be summarized on this page. The most recent issue will appear at the top of the list. What is Bubbleboy? Bubbleboy is an virus "worm" program that can infect computers using the English or Spanish-language versions of Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows 2000 with Internet Explorer 4 or 5, when Outlook Express or Outlook is used for E-mail. "The worm will also work under Windows 95 only if the Windows Scripting Host is installed," according to the Symantec Antivirus Research Center Bulletin on Bubbleboy. Somewhat like the Melissa virus, Bubbleboy gets E-mail addresses from the E-mail program's address book and sends a message to each recipient. How much of a risk do I face? Not much from Bubbleboy itself. The virus was apparently created by a "friendly" programmer in Argentina, who sent it directly to anti-virus researchers to illustrate how a security hole in Windows could be exploited. Bubbleboy has not been detected in "the wild." So what's all the fuss about? The significance of Bubbleboy is that it is apparently the first example of a virus that can be transmitted by merely opening an E-mail message, rather than having to open a file sent as an E-mail attachment. In Outlook the message has be opened, but Woody's Office Watch reports that in Outlook Express the virus is activated even if just the Preview Pane is used. Now that the potential for this kind of virus has been demonstrated, it's only a matter of time before more malicious variations on this theme appear.
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