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To: T L Comiskey who wrote (48691)	11/9/1999 3:59:00 PM
From: T L Comiskey	Respond to of 152472

Tech Headlines Tuesday November 9 3:42 PM ET New Computer Virus 'Bubbleboy' Found By Duncan Martell 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.