There is a new virus out there! This is a scary one, folks. W32.Badtrans.B is a dangerous worm capable of spreading rapidly via e-mail. It is hitting home users hard. I know because my e-mail box is filling up with virus-laden e-mail, not from corporations but from small businesses and individual computer users.
This viral worm appears as an e-mail attachment with a variable name made up elements picked from three separate lists. This varies the attachment name. However, the attachment always ends in .scr or .pif. The virus e-mails itself from the infected computer using different names. Additionally, Badtrans.B inserts files into the recipient’s computer aimed at stealing confidential data (passwords, etc.) from the infected computer.
Another scary thing about Badtrans.B is that along with several other current viruses such as the W32.Aliz.Worm, if given the right circumstances, these worms can infect your computer and send infected e-mail to everyone in your address book, even if you don’t open the attachment. Just viewing the infected e-mail in Outlook or Outlook Express can spread the virus if you use Microsoft’s Internet Explorer versions 5.01 or 5.5 and you haven’t yet downloaded the security patch that Microsoft made available last March.
If you know you need this patch, you can find it at Microsoft’s Web site. If you don’t know if you need this patch, surf over to Microsoft’s Windows Update Page, which will automatically scan your computer and tell you which updates you need. If you suspect your computer has a virus and you use Internet Explorer 4.0 or later as your Web browser, you can use Panda Software’s free ActiveScan to scan your computer and report on any infections. For other information on viruses, visit Symantec, McAfee, Panda Software, or the manufacturer of your anti-virus software program. To learn more about what a virus is, how to avoid them, how to update your anti-virus program, and more, visit Sandy’s Tutorialswhere you can choose from several informative articles.
