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Virus Information Bagle.Q
and Bagle.R
Anti-virus software maker Sophos is warning its customers about two new email viruses that can infect Windows-based PCs automatically, even if you do nothing more than *** VIEW *** an infected message. Unlike most email viruses we've encountered so far, these new threats (known as Bagle.Q and Bagle.R) do not use email attachments to spread. Instead, they take advantage of a known security flaw in Microsoft's Outlook. The moment you view an infected message, unwanted software is automatically downloaded and installed on your PC. Once this new software is running, the virus can use your computer to spread itself to others, using email addresses found on your hard drive. That's the bad news. The good news is that many Outlook users will NOT be affected by this outbreak. Several months ago, Microsoft issued a software update to address this particular security flaw. If you have already installed the update that plugs this hole, Bagle.Q and Bagle.R can't infect your system. Even if you view an infected message, it will be unable to automatically infect your system. Unfortunately, my experience with home and small business users suggests that most Windows are not up to date with Windows patches and fixes. I think it's safe to say that many, many Windows users will be infected by these new viruses, and we can expect to see a flood of infected messages clogging our e-mailboxes for the next couple of weeks. If you don't already have the update that addresses this Outlook security vulnerability, you can get it from Microsoft's Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-040.mspx Home users of Microsoft Windows can also use the Windows Update system to scan for this and other software updates: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ Here's the warning from anti-virus software maker Sophos: http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/articles/bagletwist.html Be sure to update your virus definitions, so your anti-virus software will be able to detect and remove Bagle.Q and Bagle.R in future.
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