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Urgent virus warning: New strain mimics campus addresses

9:51 a.m., March 3, 2004--A new computer virus, “W32/Bagle.j@MM,” has appeared on the UD network that mimics campus e-mail addresses so that messages with infected attachments appear to come from real individuals or UD departments.

W32/Bagle.j@MM is the most recent in a series of viruses that arrive as infected attachments to official looking e-mail. IT User Services advises faculty, staff and students NOT to open unexpected attachments to e-mail messages.

Those who receive an unexpected .EXE, .PIF or .ZIP attachment that appears to come from a friend or colleague, or from UD administration or management, should check with the sender before opening the attachment.

“If you have received a message from administration or management with an attachment of .EXE .PIF or .ZIP—this is Bagle.j. DO NOT OPEN the attachment. Delete the message,” the IT Help Center web page [www.udel.edu/help/] advises.

IT User Services also advises Windows users to go immediately to [www.udel.edu/topics/virus/mcafee/win] and download the McAfee SuperDat file listed there. After doing so, Windows users should scan their computers manually for infected files. Directions for doing so are included with the information about the SuperDat file.

According to Beth Miller, IT-User Services, “McAfee has released new DAT files due to the risk posed by these viruses. They are on our local server and ready for download.”

Reboot for protection

The copy of McAfee's anti-virus software as configured for use by UD users automatically checks for the latest updates every time an on-campus computer is rebooted and every time an off-campus computer senses an Internet connection. The latest DAT is number 4332. For more information visit [www.udel.edu/help/].

Miller also reminds users never to open unexpected attachments to e-mail messages without checking with the sender. “Our users need to be careful as many of these viruses are spread as attachments to e-mail,” she said.

Besides saving energy, Miller said that turning off computers every evening allows all Windows computers to download the latest updates to McAfee every morning when the computer is restarted.

For more information about this specific virus, visit [http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_101071.htm].

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