New computer bug fails to bite

Awareness of computer viruses is growing

The spread of a new computer virus potentially more destructive than the Love Bug has been contained, experts say.

The virus, christened NewLove, has infected thousands of computers around the world over the past two days.

This worm is too destructive to go very far

Mikko Hypponen

It is hard to detect because it is carried by e-mails with a random subject line.

But it has failed to achieve the disruption caused by the Love Bug because many companies have been able to block infected e-mails.

Nevertheless, the damage to those hit has been much greater as the bug overwrites numerous files, making the computer inoperable.

Technically superior

One of the largest computer security firms downgraded its risk rating on the new virus to "medium" from "high" by the end of Friday.

"We looked at the figures of companies and customers reporting the problem and it didn't go up at all from Thursday," said John Sun, spokesman for Network Associates.

Love Bug caused up to $10bn damage

NewLove first emerged on Thursday, with the US Government issuing an official warning on Friday.

The FBI has opened a criminal investigation. It has had reports of about 1,000 infected machines.

Experts said the new virus was technically superior to the Love Bug, but lacked the clever hook - a greeting saying "I Love You" and an attached "Love Letter" - that turned the Love Bug into a global phenomenon.

Some computer analysts said fears of widespread damage had been overplayed, noting that the bug had not travelled as far as anticipated and had not infiltrated any internet service providers.

Fears 'overblown'

"We have yet to receive a single direct report [of the new worm]," said Marck Zajicek of the CERT Co-ordination Centre, an emergency response centre funded by the US Government.

Mikko Hypponen of F-Secure.com, a computer virus expert based in Finland, said the attention surrounding the new virus was "hype" and "overblown."

He said his security company had "not received a single direct report from our customers anywhere in the world on this".

"This worm is too destructive to go very far," he said.

"When people were hit by LoveLetter, they didn't notice it until they were contacted by people who they had sent the virus to. With NewLove, your computer crashes immediately and you lose your files. It's difficult to miss that."

As with the Love Bug, the virus only spreads from recipients running Microsoft's Outlook e-mail program for Windows.

The Love Bug is estimated to have caused up to $10bn worth of damage, mostly in lost work time. By comparison, the damage caused by the NewLove virus is expected to total much less.