Worm Sneaks Into E-mails, Computers

July 25, 2001

If you get an e-mail with an attachment, don't open the attachment unless you are sure you are expecting it. The W32.Sircam.Worm@mm is going around. So much so that Symantec, the makers of Norton Anti-Virus, have upgraded the threat from level 3 to level 4. If infected, the worm will attach itself to a random document on your hard drive, and send the infected file to everyone in your address book. The attachment will be called by the document name that it has attached itself too with the extension .bat, .com, .lnk, or .pif added to it. In extreme cases, the worm can delete all your files, or fill all the space on your hard drive. It can also be difficult to get rid of.

The body of the e-mail usually starts with, "Hi! How are you?" with the ending line, "See you later. Thanks". In between, one or more of the following lines may be included:

I send you this file in order to have your advice
I hope you can help me with this file that I send
I hope you like the file that I sendo you
This is the file with the information that you ask for

If you get an e-mail that fit any of this criteria, DO NOT open the attachment!

Symantec has a fix on their web site you can download and run. Follow this link for more info: Symantec, W32.Sircam.Worm@mm