e-mail-born computer infection

[nin@xxxxxx]

Dear Burmanet readers,

I received the following news this morning. 
Please take it seriously.

With metta and respect,
Dr. Khin Ni Ni Thein

-------- Original Message --------

PALO ALTO, Calif. (Reuters) - Researchers have discovered what they believe to be the first
e-mail-borne computer infection  that doesn't require a user to open an e-mail or
e-mail attachment for it to wreak havoc.

Dubbed ``Bubbleboy'' after an episode of TV sitcom ''Seinfeld,'' the virus is known as a worm because it
is self-propagating.  Researchers at antivirus software firm Network Associates Inc (Nasdaq:NETA - news). received the computer infection  anonymously Monday night at about 10 p.m. local time.

``Historically, as long as you don't open e-mail attachments you're safe from virus infection, but this
changes all that,'' said Sal  Viveros, a marketing manager at Network Associates.
''We've finally come to the point where if you're using e-mail, specifically
(Microsoft Corp (Nasdaq:MSFT - news).'s) Outlook, you need to have some sort of virus protection or you
shouldn't read  e-mail.''

Although the Bubbleboy virus that researchers received last night didn't cause harm such as deleting
files or stealing passwords, it  won't be long before variants crop up that are indeed
destructive, Viveros said.

``In this case, it's just sending itself all over the place but it could fairly easily delete files or steal
passwords,'' Viveros said.

Bubbleboy appears as an e-mail with ``Bubbleboy is Back!'' in the subject line and includes pictures and
sounds from the Seinfeld  episode that gave it its name.

Bubbleboy follows other e-mail-borne viruses that have already swept the Internet such as the
``ExploreZip worm,'' which can  erase files from a user's computer, and the Melissa
virus, which gained notoriety for its ability to spread quickly but not because it
 destroyed any data.

Network Associates gave Bubbleboy a ``low risk'' classification for now because customers haven't yet
notified it that the virus  has appeared on their computers.

What makes this worm particularly nefarious is that if a user is running Outlook Express and has the
preview pane enabled, the worm can infect the computer without the user even
opening the e-mail.

The preview pane in Outlook Express lets users scan e-mails to see their contents without having to open
them first. Other e-mail  programs such as Exchange and Lotus Notes are also
vulnerable, Viveros said.

``Now just by reading an e-mail you can be infected, and if you're using Outlook Express you don't even
need to read it,''  Viveros said. The worm will then send itself to everyone listed in that e-mail program's address book.

Bubbleboy refers to a Seinfeld episode in which a boy who lives in a bubble because of a faulty immune
system is a big fan of Jerry Seinfeld, who plays himself as a stand-up comic on the popular series. Jerry and George Castanza, a friend of Jerry's, visit
the boy and play Trivial Pursuit.

But the answer on one of the cards is misspelled, and the boy in the bubble and George get into a fight. The
fight ends with George accidentally popping the boy's bubble.

``But unfortunately, this virus is not very funny,'' Viveros said. 

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