Sree's Thoughts on The Code Red Virus
Tuesday, July 31, 2001

This has been a big couple of weeks for viruses.

First, a virus called "SirCam" became one of the most widespread viruses of all time, getting into personal e-mail systems worldwide and sending out random files to user address books. The resulting e-mail message would say "Hi! How are you. "I send you this file in order to have your advice" and include an attachment that would cause an infection if opened. I got at least 30 versions of this worm in my e-mail. All things considered, this was a pretty tame virus, unlike last year's "I Love You" virus, which deleted files and caused other havoc.

The second virus threat is much more dangerous. Called the "Code Red" virus (and named for a cherry-flavored version of Mountain Dew that a virus-fighting team was guzzling as they worked), this worm has hit more than 300,000 computers worldwide and is expected to reactivate itself tonight, Tuesday, July 31 at 8 p.m. EST. Basically, this virus attacks servers, the computers that host Web sites and other vital information around the world. If it runs rampant, its effects could vary from crashed Web sites to defaced Web pages to a dramatic slowdown in the speed of Internet traffic. Fortunately, there is a software "patch" (think of it as a quick-fix solution) that can plug the flaw that allows the worm to live on.

Some tips on dealing with this virus:

NEED A PATCH?
If you use Windows 95, 98, and ME, you don't need to do anything. If you use Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000, you should install the software patch described at http://www.digitalisland.net/codered/.

REBOOT YOUR PC
If your computer does get infected, reboot your PC. To be safe, reboot it anyway.

DON'T FORWARD VIRUS ALERTS:
Never forward those alerts you get. These virus alert -- almost always a hoax -- are a sort of virus in themselves, clogging up the Internet... Even if they are from someone you trust. If you must forward it to someone, send it to your network administrator (who probably knows about it already).

DON'T PANIC
There is nothing that panic will do to help your cause. Too many people panic too easily. Take a deep breath, and back up your files.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Guard against Code Red:
http://www.digitalisland.net/codered/

My recent segment on viruses
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/technology/WABC_050401_techguru.html

About.com
http://antivirus.about.com

Sree's Tips
Mailing List

To join the LOW-volume "Sree Tips" e-mail mailing list, send your name and e-mail address to sreetips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. No more than once a month, you will receive an e-mail message with tips and tricks about new, useful and fun Web sites.