WWW, July 27, 2001 (LSN.ca) – A virus known as “Sircam” has been spreading very quickly over the Internet via email. Although LifeSite has never transmitted the virus since our system sends from a server rather than from a personal computer, LifeSite computers have received the virus via email over 100 times in the past two days. Thus we ask that LifeSite subscribers please check your systems for the virus. More information on the virus is available from various antivirus software companies. The fix for the virus and more information can be found at the links below or on other virus software company websites.
This virulent and very sophisticated new type of email worm is spreading fast, disseminating by emailing copies of itself to contacts in the email address books of infected users. It also sends a random file from the infected user’s PC as an attachment, meaning that this alarming virus could possibly send out confidential information in the process. The subject line of the email takes the name of the file sent out when the SirCam worm replicates itself, making it much harder for recipients to identify as a virus.
SirCam is activated when the recipient double-clicks on its attachment, which masks an executable file such as a .bat, .com, .lnk and/or .pif file. It then launches a damaging attack on the recipient’s PC, able to destroy files and directories and occupy hard disk space, as well as mass mailing itself to others.
For more information from Norton Antivirus and Norman on the virus see: https://www.sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/[email protected] https://www.norman.com/virus_info/w32_sircam.shtml
If you suspect that your computer is infected it is strongly advisable that you read all the information about it on at least one of the above links since it can be tricky removing all traces of the virus off a computer system.