Thursday May 4, 12:19 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Trend Micro
Major Virus Outbreak Alert From
Trend Micro - VBS-LOVELETTER
Hits Users Worldwide
Free On-Line Scanning Service, HouseCall, Allows Users to Clean
Their Systems - Trend Micro Customers Can Update Their
Protection Now
MAIDENHEAD, England, May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Trend Micro (Nasdaq: TMIC -
news), a leading provider of Internet content security, announced that protection for
a new and quickly spreading VB Script ``worm'' type virus VBS-LOVELETTER is
available now.
Trend Micro first detected this early this morning European time and had a solution
available within 15 minutes. During a two-hour period several hundred phone calls
were received from major European customers within Government, industry and
trade including ISPs, infected with the new virus.
Trend Micro customers are strongly recommended to update their virus protection
software with a new emergency virus update pattern update number 693 as follows:
1. Download pattern 693 from www.antivirus.com/download/pattern.asp
2. Ensure that both in and outbound mail is scanned
3. Proceed with manual scan to clean up any affected mail servers, PCs
and file servers.
It is recommended that non-customers download an evaluation copy of ScanMail
plus pattern update 693 to install and clean mail/groupware servers.
Trend Micro is currently updating its free on-line scanning service, HouseCall, at
housecall.antivirus.com . Concerned users who are not currently using Trend
Micro software can take advantage of this free on-line service to ensure that their
systems are not infected. Trend Micro expects to have HouseCall updated shortly.
About VBS-LOVELETTER
This computer worm, once executed will modify the registry and will drop files for it
to spread. It replicates using Microsoft Outlook by sending an email with an
attachment file ``LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs'' to ALL email addresses listed in
the address list. It will also propagate using mIRC by modifying the ``script.ini''.
After connecting to a chat server using mIRC, the virus will initiate a dcc send to all
the users in the current channel and send a copy of itself. It has also the capability to
infect files with specific extensions
How to reduce risk of infection
Trend Micro cautions users to be wary of opening email attachment with the reading
``ILOVEYOU'' with a phrase in the message body reading ``kindly check the
attached LOVE LETTER coming from me'' - even if they recognise the name of the
person sending the message, since this is how the virus is spread. Savvy users can
create a rule in Outlook to delete emails with the mentioned text in the subject line
or the body of the message.
About Trend Micro
Trend Micro provides centrally controlled server-based virus protection and
content-filtering products and services. By protecting information that flows through
Internet gateways, email servers, and file servers, Trend Micro allows companies
worldwide to stop viruses and other malicious code from a central point before they
ever reach the desktop.
Trend Micro's corporate headquarters is located in Tokyo, Japan, with business units
in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Trend Micro's European
headquarters is located in Maidenhead, England. Trend Micro's products are sold
through a network of corporate, value-added resellers. Evaluation copies of all of
Trend Micro's products may be downloaded from its awarding winning web site,
www.antivirus.com . Web site visitors may also test-drive products online
through Trend Micro's Virtual Lab.
SOURCE: Trend Micro
