Helsinki, Jan 31: The Internet computer virus known as "Mydoom" will continue to hit e-mails on computers worldwide until February 12, when it is programmed to stop, a leading computer security company said Friday. "After that date it won't spread if the tainted computers are dated correctly," said Mikko Hypponen, director of antivirus research at F-Secure. "Of course, all computer clocks aren't always accurate, or dated correctly."
F-Secure, a Helsinki-based computer security company, was one of the first to warn of the dangers of the e-mail worm, also known as "Novarg," earlier this week.
The worm spreads in e-mail attachments on computers using Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating systems and is activated when people read their mail. It is programmed to launch a worldwide attack on the Web site of SCO, one of the largest unix vendors in the world. Security experts described it as the biggest virus-like outbreak in months, made more problematic by its timing.
Unlike most computer worms which usually strike only once, Mydoom is particularly vicious because it will spread continuously from infected computers until Feb. 12, Hypponen said.
"It's hit hundreds of thousands of users worldwide, but we aren't quite sure how many hundreds of thousands. Anyhow, it's all over the place," Hypponen told The Associated Press.
He said his company had contacted officials in various countries, but were no closer to finding out who was behind the worm.
Bureau Report