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Two months ago, the fastest-spreading computer virus since the so-called "Love Bug"--which infected 15 million computers last year--was unleashed. The virus was disguised as an email attachment, supposedly a photo of Russian tennis starlet Anna Kournikova. When the attachment was opened, the virus emailed itself to everyone in the user's address book. While the virus did not damage computer files, it clogged email servers worldwide, affecting hundreds of thousands of computers, including those at 50 major U.S. corporations. A far more devastating virus, tagged "Naked Wife," debuted earlier this month, deleting crucial files in Windows-based computers and rendering them inoperable.
Now here's the bad news.
Last week, an updated version of the software used to create the Kournikova virus was posted on several online sites.
A Brazilian hacker known as [K] Alamar claims to be the author of the program, which includes enough user-friendly features to enable any "newbie" (hacker lingo for novice) to create a destructive virus.
And according to [K] Alamar, the virus currently is undetectable by known antivirus software and has the ability to continuously mutate, rendering it even more difficult to detect.
The availability of such programs is making it simple for anyone with a computer, an unethical bent and a lust for power to point and click their way to a brief notoriety.
And, astonishingly, it even can provide a glowing addition to their resumes. The 20-year-old Dutch hacker who created the Kournikova virus quickly received a job offer from the mayor of the appropriately-named town of Sneek in the Netherlands.
"Former poachers make the best game wardens," the mayor said.
The authors of virus-creation programs argue that they are not responsible for any damage they may be used to create, anymore than the match manufacturer is liable if someone burns your house down, and claim First Amendment protection.
How likely is the average computer user to be affected by a virus? According to PC World magazine, five years ago your chances were one in a thousand over a one year period. Today they are one in 10.
Experts estimate there are 40,000 known viruses in existence, and 81 percent of them are distributed via email. They advise that computer users install antivirus software and update it frequently, and examine the filename of email attachments before opening them. If it ends in .vbs or .exe, it is a program, not text or graphics, and may be a virus. Contact the person who sent it to you to confirm that they actually sent it. Their computer may be infected.