Watchdog - Viruses set to get worse

The Melissa virus certainly caught our imagination, with its ability to automatically send itself to all the users stored in an email address book. But this sort of virus sets the tone for the future, according to virus expert and Sophos technology consultant Graham Cluley.

Cluley told VNU Newswire, What PC?'s online sister publication: "There are worse things that viruses could do." The problem with viruses like Melissa or ExploreZip, which is also spread by email, is that they can be transmitted far faster and easier than older viruses.

"There has been a fundamental change in how viruses are distributed, where what they've done is cut out the middleman. Whereas it took months in the past, Melissa got out in a day and ExploreZip in a similar time," explained Cluley.

Microsoft has attempted to address the issue of viruses spread via email attachments, such as executable (.exe) files, by releasing security patches for Outlook 97, 98 and 2000. The patches change the dialog box that appears when an attachment is opened, to give a more explicit warning and force users to save the attachment before opening it.

But industry experts warn that this step has little effect when it comes to combating this type of virus. Gartner analyst Tom Austin told VNU Newswire: "These patches represent a tiny improvement that will not prevent virus attacks." He warned that the patches make no distinction between different types of attachments and fail to alert users to the more harmful versions.

The best way to avoid the ravages of these viruses is to run an anti-virus package on any PC you use, and keep it updated via the Web so it can identify the latest viruses. But the most obvious way to avoid viruses spread via email is to leave any .exe files alone. "If you receive an .exe file, don't open it," said Cluley. He also advised that users ignore virus warnings - unless they come from your systems administrator at work - because they are often hoaxes.

YEAR 2000 FEARS LAID TO REST

In among all the party planning for the millennium, many people have been concerned about how entering the year 2000 will affect electronic household goods. US consumer group the Consumers Electronics Manufacturers Association has set our minds at rest by stating that only products that use calendar date information will be affected.

So while your PC may play up if you haven't sorted out its Y2K compliance, the fridge and the toaster should work fine. Even though TVs and kettles may include embedded computer chips, the rollover to 2000 will not affect them because they don't have access to the current date.

Even if your fax machine or video do use on-date information, the biggest problem you're likely to find is a wrong date appearing, rather than total meltdown. So with luck the prophecies of doom for New Year's Day 2000, will prove as true as Nostradamus' prediction of the world's end on 4

July 1999.

TIME TROUBLE

Time Computers was in the doghouse recently. Watchdog received a letter from MJ Buckley, complaining about problems with a Time PC and the service he had received under its CoverPlus scheme.

Having paid over £350 for CoverPlus, which offers a three-year extended guarantee (Time's standard warranty lasts only one year) and a priority phone service, he was appalled when he was left waiting in vain for promised return calls after encountering problems with his PC.

We called Time to find out what it was doing to solve Mr Buckley's problems, and it told us that it had replaced the faulty PC on 2 July. It admitted there had been some delay in dealing with this problem and in supplying the PC, because of a hold-up in the delivery of a component. However, by way of compensation it has offered Mr Buckley some free software and is investigating the possibility of refunding any excess phone charges he incurred.

It's always worth looking into the support options offered by suppliers, as a generous warranty included in the price of your PC may work out cheaper than paying less for your PC, and then having to shell out for a decent support option on top.

WRITE TO WATCHDOG

If you have a case for us to solve or a story that needs investigating write to: Watchdog, What PC? Editorial, VNU Business Publications, 32-34 Broadwick Street, London W1A 2HG, or email us on watchdog@whatpc.vnu.co.uk.

Like this story? Spread the news by clicking below:

 del.icio.us     Digg this     reddit!