Sophos Warns Of Valentine Virus Problems

Sophos, the anti-virus firm, has warned that PC/Internet users should
be on alert for possible malware e-mail now that Valentine's Day,
Feb. 14, is almost upon us.

The IT security company said that companies should be aware of the
risks of electronic Valentine cards, as staff who exchange
lovey-dovey messages could end up harboring dangerous computer
viruses.

The potential problem exists because many Valentine e-cards tend to
be executable attachments that execute in memory or, more typically,
after saving themselves to a Windows temporary directory on the
user's hard drive.

Graham Cluley, Sophos' senior technology consultant, said that
sending joke programs, screensavers and electronic valentine cards
increases the risk of virus infection.

"As romance blossoms in the office it may be all too easy for users
to let their guard slip and leave themselves vulnerable to attack. It
may be a lot safer to receive your Valentine message through the
regular post," he said.

Sophos has reported previously that virus writers are increasingly
using psychological temptations such as love, money and lust to
encourage innocent users to activate viruses.

Last year, the firm said, the Love Bug virus posed as a romantic
loveletter and millions of users around the world were hit.

Because of these issues, Sophos suggests that all companies and
organizations to teach safe computing practices as part of their
basic training and to be suspicious of any unsolicited e-mail
attachments.

Free tips on safe computing are published by Sophos on its Web site
at http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/articles/safehex.html.