News
Stopping a Wicked NT Virus
One Fortune 100 company woke up from a slumber with a nasty head cold. Anti-virus expert Roger A. Grimes reports on the fallout of the "Remote Explorer" virus -- and offers ways to lessen its impact i
These last few weeks are traditionally slow in the Microsoft technology news sector, so when
MCP Magazine heard the sordid tale of a major telecommunications company -- we later found out that it was MCI WorldCom -- playing host to a new and pernicious NT virus, we immediately tuned in.
The virus, dubbed "Remote Explorer," infiltrated several thousand computers (or a handful -- the number of systems is unconfirmed) before the company detected its existence. With help, MCI WorldCom eventually eradicated the virus.
MCI WorldCom's dilemma prompted anti-virus expert Roger Grimes, MCSE, MCP+Internet, to further investigate. What he uncovered was a few hard facts encased in a shell of rumor and hyperbole, with software companies and anti-virus vendors in debate as to the virus' real impact.
In an online exclusive article, Grimes explains how the Remote Explorer virus works and offers a few practical security precautions (and steps to lessen its damage if your systems are stricken) to keep your company from becoming a case study. To read the article, go to http://www.mcpmag.com/members/current/oe2main.asp.