Pat wrote <<    "This worm exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook and
Outlook
Express in an attempt to execute itself when you open or even preview
the message. Information and a patch for the vulnerability can be found
at:  www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS01-020.asp.">>

Last month we moved our daughter into college.  We waited 'til we got there to
get her a computer since their student store had comparable prices.  She had
wanted some type of PC (for the games more than anything).  She moved in after
the week after the worm had 'hit.'  Over the previous weekend an acquaintance
who is a prof at the same U had emailed me that he was unable to obtain some
info I had requested because the U had been infected by the worm.  
The first thing I did when we got to the computer store on campus was ask the
clerk in the repair area if they had had any problems with the worm.  He looked
at me and shook his head--said they had just taken in 60 computers that morning
that needed to be de-wormed.  I asked if any were MAC's and he said, 'no,' that
they aren't affected.  Then we went in to look at the different computers.  The
salesgirls said that all the ones they had there were 'good.'   She then
mentined she had a PC but would give her eye-teeth for a MAC, saying they were
better for graphics and music.  After hearing that my daughter, resignedly
said, 'alright, I'll get a MAC.'  We were unable to get it that day because
they had sold out--probably went faster than expected because of the worm.   We
wound up ordering it by phone and had it 2 days later.
Anyway, that night my daughter called us--one of her good friends from high
school who was at same school, had plugged her brand-new, unused PC into the
ethernet--and was immediately hit by the worm and/or a virus, too.  My daughter
then said she was glad that she had gotten a MAC.
I probably shouldn't speak too quickly, but out of the 10 MAC's we've had (that
includes the two that I have had from work), amongst those in our immediate
family, none of us has ever lost a hard-drive.
The only one who had to switch to PC was our eldest--was required by the med.
school.  Last year one of our other daughters, who is in art school was
required to get a special G4 (MAC) which is kept locked at the art school.
With all the required graphics, she got it at a discount for 5 thousand...
Anyway, they have been easy to use and more than adequate for our immediate
needs, although we could use a memory upgrade on our home  computer...

I was getting about 100 spam e-mails aday, until i had enough and had to change my address. I don't get any now!

Don't give out your address willy nilly on web sites, coz that has a lot to do with it i know.

Shaz x
 WOW!!! I really thought I had it bad but compared to your problem I was let off easy. I have been getting the standard Microsoft patch one and one about undelivered mail but this one was worded different and had a lot of names from this list that I recognized in the header. My Norton called it  W32Swen.a@mm And explained it....So I guess it was the same worm just worded differently.  My Norton Pro. is working well, and I am glad...
     "This worm exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express in an attempt to execute itself when you open or even preview the message. Information and a patch for the vulnerability can be found at:  www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS01-020.asp."
     They all went straight to my trash, but unfortunatly some of my real mail does to so I scan the titles. before deleting.
     Now if I could just get rid of the drug and penis adds I would be a happy lady. My ISP will only deal with those spammers that do it from their Company.
 Pat
     

 Mary Fisher wrote:

 << I have been receiving 80-100 mailings a day with
this very virus >>

Wow, and I thought I had it bad with maybe 10 to 15 junk mails/day.
   Again, I
 do think using a MAC and aol help keep these to a minimum--at least for
   now and
 probably should not advertise if should the perpetrator read this...
   
The vandals who do this aren't reading individual mails or posts, they have
programmes which can pick out addresses. Even 'spamtrapper' addresses aren't
safe.

Last weekend I was getting c 2,000 a day. My virus checker saw to the fangs
and I never open anything I'm not expecting. But simply getting my screen
filled with these things effectively immobilised my internet.

I managed to get through to my ISP. Others were experiencing the same
problem. The techies there sorted it, that's a benefit of having a small,
caring ISP whose customers really matter.

But I would add that Mac users were getting them, aol users were getting
them, people with and without web sites were getting them. Some were
distressed by having 40 a day, a few were unlucky enough to have as many as
I did. Some newsgroup readers thought that their particular groups were
being targeted. They weren't, every internet user - EVERYONE - is a
potential victim.

If you get things with attachments just don't open them without checking the
sender - if you know the sender. And not always then - I've had some
purporting to come from Mary Fisher!

I hope that eventually they'll stop but I suspect that some clever so and so
will find a way of doing even more damage :-(

I don't understand the technology but I was reliably (I think) informed that
it wasn't a virus and it wasn't a worm - it was a Trojan horse - something
coming in an apparently innocent package.

Mary