13 December 1999

New Viruses Lead to Speculation about Another Y2K Threat

The following article is excerpted from "ITAA's Year 2000 Outlook", volume 4, no. 42, 10 December 1999.

As remediation efforts come to an end, consumers in particular have begun t o exhibit worries about the spread of viruses that will either be triggered or activated once the clock strikes midnight on 31 December. And although some analysts suggest that these fears are simply a piece of other Y2K concerns, current evidence may prove them a little too sanguine.

A new virus, disguised as a fix to the Y2K problem, has begun circulating, according to Symantec, an anti-virus company. Dubbed W95.Babylonia, the virus is "spreading quickly worldwide" on Windows-based computers via mIRC, software that connects to internet relay chat programs.

This virus automatically downloads software via the internet to the infected computer, raising the possibility that the virus can update itself from a central site....

And Babylonia is not alone. In early December, several companies were hit by a worm-like virus that is transmitted via e-mail and can wipe out a computer's hard drive on or after 1 January 2000. Computer security experts identify Babylonia as the fifth virus of its kind and warn there may be more to follow....

One piece of advice that all experts agreed upon was the need to update anti-virus software on a daily basis until after Y2K has passed. The Computer Emergency Response Team .... Co-ordination Center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, as well as leading makers of anti-virus software, will be watching around the clock over the New Year's weekend....