THE COMPUTER VIRUS MELISSA

There are a number of different computer viruses that have become very well known. Even the man in the street is familiar with them, not just computer nerds. One of these is the computer virus Melissa.

What is it?

The Melissa computer virus caused havoc to many computer networks by causing email messages to be sent that contained a copy of itself. This caused the email servers to become swamped with the number of emails that were being sent.

Although it is generally referred to as a computer virus, Melissa is actually correctly called a computer worm. This is because it can replicate itself but doesn't need to be transported in a host file.

How it works

Melissa affects users that have Microsoft Word 97 and Word 2000. When a computer is infected the program runs a macro and then tries to mass mail itself. It searches for the email program Outlook 97 or 98. If found, it will take the first 50 email addresses and email itself to them. The program doesn't work with any other versions of Word or Outlook. At the time of the first outbreak in 1999, these were the most popular versions being used.

Who created it?

The program was created by David Smith from New Jersey. He named the program after a lap dancer that he met in Florida. He was eventually caught and sentenced to 20 months in prison and fined $5,000.

Protection from Melissa

It is now quite easy to protect your self from the Melissa computer virus. All of the most recent antivirus software will have this program in the virus databases. New variations of computer viruses are being brought out all the time, including some variations on the original Melissa program. This emphasizes the need to keep your antivirus software up to date and download any recommended security patches from Microsoft.