Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Love virus is in the air

February 13, 2006 15:04 IST
This Valentine's Day, beware of e-mails from a 'Silent Admirer', with some romantic subject lines.

Smart virus writers know that there are many, who believe their dream lover will appear from nowhere on this celebrated day of love.

"The nature of genuine Valentine e-mails have changed over the last few years. Flash files or .exe attachments will require you to download a particular file or click on a specific link to play.

Now this method can be employed by Virus creator, to infect your computer with a Trojan, Worm or Spyware," explains Govind Rammurthy, CEO, MicroWorld Technologies. 

Meanwhile, Chinese experts have also warned computer users to guard against deadly viruses, which could attack their machines on the eve of Valentine's Day.

A virus, known as "Vbs_Valentin.A" is likely to break out on February 14 and will spread chiefly through e-mails or on-line chat systems, according to China National Computer Virus Emergency Response Centre under the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.

MicroWorld experts have also found that worm "Vbs_Valentin.A" is most likely to surface on the Valentine's Day. Others like Worm-blebla.B" and "VBS-ILoveyou" too, may have some dangerous love bites in store for you.

The security firm urges its users to update their anti-virus software eScan and MailScan to defeat these disguised threats. It's also well advised to stay away from any Valentine message from strangers. At the end of the day, no e-card is worth risking your precious personal information, cautions Rammurthy.  

© Copyright 2024 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.