The Melissa virus is a macro virus that infects computers and email gateways through Microsoft Word 97 or 2000 and Outlook 97 or 98. It caused clogged emails in the late 1990s, and companies such as Lucent, Microsoft, and Intel had to shut down their email servers temporarily. The virus comes in different forms, but it can be prevented by using up-to-date antivirus software and not opening attachments from unknown users. The creator of the virus, David L. Smith, was caught and fined $5,000 USD and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He later worked for the FBI tracking viruses.
The Melissa virus refers to a macro computer virus that can infect computers and e-mail gateways when users are running Microsoft Word 97 or 2000 or Microsoft Outlook 97 or 98. Usenet groups first received the virus, created by David L. Smith, late 1990s. In the late 1990s, some users and mail clients were shut down due to clogged replicated emails sent to and received from infected computers. Companies such as Lucent, Microsoft and Intel had to shut down their email servers temporarily because the virus was generating huge amounts of bogus emails and clogging up the system.
The virus comes in many forms and can infect a computer as follows:
1. The virus comes in .DOC format and tries to replicate itself and send itself to other computers via email addresses on your computer.
2. A variant of the virus does the above and also tries to delete files.
3. The user receives an email titled “Images” which is blank but contains a file attachment. When opened, it purges the data and sends itself to the first 40 entries in a person’s email address list.
While the Melissa virus can be a problem, many people new to Word or Outlook forms have no problem with the worm-type virus. It doesn’t work on Word 2003, 2004, 2007. It is also called macro virus, because it uses macro language. This is a programming language that can be incorporated into other programs making them run immediately when opened. Most virus detectors will tell you if a program contains macros before you open it, so you can decide whether to open it or not. You can also disable the opening of macros or documents containing them on most computers.
The best defense against encountering the Melissa virus is to use up-to-date antivirus software. This cannot be stressed enough since there are many other viruses that can infect a computer in a variety of ways. It is always advisable not to open attachments in emails when you do not know the user. If you’re unsure and think the user might be someone you know, consider calling that person or sending them an email to ask if they’ve sent an email.
Viruses like the Melissa virus tend to get caught by other hackers and updated, so it’s possible that variants of the program might resurface from time to time. While many people have antivirus software, they may not run it as often as necessary or update it as necessary as new viruses appear. The time it takes to run virus-checking programs or get an update is well worth it if you want to make sure your computer keeps running and is virus-free.
As for the programmer of the Melissa virus, authorities worked diligently to catch David Smith, and it took three agencies, the FBI, Monmouth Internet, and the New Jersey State Police to find Smith, identify him as the programmer, and arrest him. in late 1999. Smith is known for not only creating the virus, but also for creating the most expensive virus for companies (to date) and for being among the first prosecuted for creating a dangerous danger to both individuals and for companies. He was fined $5,000 US dollars (USD) and sentenced to 10 years in prison, but cooperated with authorities and reduced the sentence and fines. He later went to work for the FBI tracking viruses, finding people who write them, and looking for solutions when viral infections of a computer or network occur.
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