T
Tech Zero
Story from BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/3679511.stm
Disruption caused by a new internet virus known as Sasser is showing
signs of worsening.
In two separate cases, companies in Taiwan and Finland reported the
worm had disrupted their computers.
Sasser, unlike a virus which travels through e-mails and attachments,
spreads directly from the internet.
It attacks recent versions of Microsoft's Windows causing the computer
to shut down. Experts believe millions of computers may be infected.
Shut down
Taiwan's national post office said a third of its offices had been
paralysed by the virus.
The company said it had started to receive complaints from around 10:00
(03:00 BST) that computers in its offices were shutting down and
rebooting automatically.
The disruption left customers queuing in long lines at many of the
company's offices, according to television reports.
Meanwhile, Finnish bancassurer Samp said it had temporarily closed all
of its 130 branch offices as a precaution against Sasser.
In Moscow a computer security firm warned of a possible major epidemic.
Microsoft has acknowledged that the worm is spreading but played down
the threat.
"It seems to me an exaggeration to say that millions of computers have
been affected," said Bernard Ourghanlian, Microsoft's technical
director in France.
Software
Microsoft has made available a software update to fix the flaw and
offers a guide to those afflicted on its website page
www.microsoft.com/security.
Sasser attacks recent versions of Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003 and
Windows XP.
The computer has to be rebooted several times but appears to suffer no
lasting damage.
"Worst affected will be small and medium-sized businesses that don't
have the resources to update their anti-virus software," said Mark
Grady, principal consultant at IT consultants Intraliant.
"Large corporations have the time and money and will have updated their
patches," Mr Grady said.
A Microsoft patch was released on 13 April and revised on 28 April.
Internet users have been warned that they are more likely to get the
virus the more they surf the web.
The virus is picked up by clicking on any one of a number of sites.
The worm is the third major internet infection after Mydoom in January
and Bagle in February but computer experts are saying that unlike
previous ones it does not appear to damage the hard drive.
Disruption caused by a new internet virus known as Sasser is showing
signs of worsening.
In two separate cases, companies in Taiwan and Finland reported the
worm had disrupted their computers.
Sasser, unlike a virus which travels through e-mails and attachments,
spreads directly from the internet.
It attacks recent versions of Microsoft's Windows causing the computer
to shut down. Experts believe millions of computers may be infected.
Shut down
Taiwan's national post office said a third of its offices had been
paralysed by the virus.
The company said it had started to receive complaints from around 10:00
(03:00 BST) that computers in its offices were shutting down and
rebooting automatically.
The disruption left customers queuing in long lines at many of the
company's offices, according to television reports.
Meanwhile, Finnish bancassurer Samp said it had temporarily closed all
of its 130 branch offices as a precaution against Sasser.
In Moscow a computer security firm warned of a possible major epidemic.
Microsoft has acknowledged that the worm is spreading but played down
the threat.
"It seems to me an exaggeration to say that millions of computers have
been affected," said Bernard Ourghanlian, Microsoft's technical
director in France.
Software
Microsoft has made available a software update to fix the flaw and
offers a guide to those afflicted on its website page
www.microsoft.com/security.
Sasser attacks recent versions of Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003 and
Windows XP.
The computer has to be rebooted several times but appears to suffer no
lasting damage.
"Worst affected will be small and medium-sized businesses that don't
have the resources to update their anti-virus software," said Mark
Grady, principal consultant at IT consultants Intraliant.
"Large corporations have the time and money and will have updated their
patches," Mr Grady said.
A Microsoft patch was released on 13 April and revised on 28 April.
Internet users have been warned that they are more likely to get the
virus the more they surf the web.
The virus is picked up by clicking on any one of a number of sites.
The worm is the third major internet infection after Mydoom in January
and Bagle in February but computer experts are saying that unlike
previous ones it does not appear to damage the hard drive.
