Hello All! The following information was received by me from another List Owner. Please read and exercise caution. Some of you may already be aware of the most recent "Melissa" Virus, but I feel compelled to get this information out to everyone. If you receive an e-mail message with the subject: "Important Message From ..." Do NOT open it, and DELETE it immediately. The message contains a Microsoft Word file attachment, which contains a dangerous macro "worm" (similar to a virus). If you open this file, the macro will send multiple copies of the file and worm to many other users, hence causing it to spread extremely rapidly. It will also infect your machine with a version of itself that will be present in any new Microsoft Word documents you create. This is not a hoax. This worm is also infecting other sites around the world. See the last section of this message for further technical details. 1. This comes from a credible source. See link down below. 2. This does NOT mean the lists are getting infected. 3. It is said that the eMail message with the subject noted has an attached file. Don't even open the message, just delete it. Opening the email message WILL NOT spread the virus. Opening the attached Word file WILL spread the virus. However, the advice is to just delete the email message itself, sound advice. Some people will open the email, then be tempted to open the Word file just to see what happens (sort of like the apple in the Garden of Eden). Don't tempt fate, delete the email message. 4. You'll see that CNet, below, has information on this. FURTHER TECHNICAL DETAILS A worm replicates itself by trying to send multiple copies of itself to other recipients, who, in turn, execute the worm and do the same. This particular worm is in the form of a Microsoft Word macro. An unsuspecting user receives a message with an attached Word document that contains the macro. If the user opens the document and allows the macro to execute (either by having disabled this protection in MS Word, or by confirming on a dialog box), the macro will execute and propagate itself. This macro also modifies your default document template to cause all new documents that you write to contain the worm. If you later send someone one of these documents, the recipient could start the propagation again, using your document as the base. HOW TO FIND OUT MORE C/Net's news.com has a story on this virus/worm: http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,34334,00.html?st.ne.fd.gif.e Let me know if you have any contact with this virus. Many thanks. Tapadh leibh, Sláinte! ("Thank you and Best Regards!" in Irish Gaelic) Slån go foille ("Bye for now" in Irish Gaelic) <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Les - cavin@charlotte.infi.net - Gastonia, NC, USA Rootsweb Sponsor and List Coordinator for: the CAVIN Surname List the NC-IREDELL CO.-ROOTS List the NC-ALEXANDER CO.-ROOTS List Please visit my Home Page at: http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/c/a/v/Les-D-Cavin-NC/ "Friends: People who know you well, but like you anyway" [:<D Please support Rootsweb. Visit their website at: http://www.rootsweb.com/ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>