New Virus to Hit E-mail Recipients on Christmas

Computer users should watch out for an unwanted gift in their inboxes this Christmas, in the shape of a virus called Navidad.exe.

The virus, named after the Spanish word for Christmas, first reared its head in Beijing in early November, after reportedly infecting hundreds of computers in the United States, the paper quoted a Beijing Public Security Bureau official as saying.

It was commonly attached to e-mails and when opened could destroy the recipient's operating system and erase all documents with the suffix ".exe".

A police officer at the Beijing Public Security Bureau confirmed that the virus was devastating, and computer users are advised to update their anti-virus software to the newest versions.

An expert from Beijing Rising Company, the leading virus prevention company in China, said the company has received plenty of reports of Navidad infection. When it is opened, Navidad automatically replies to all e-mails in the recipient's inbox, attaching a copy of itself to each reply. It may change its name on each new attachment, so e-mailers should avoid opening any attached file on any e-mails.






People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/