Like their dirt world counterparts, computer viruses come in varieties that range from the merely annoying to the downright deadly. And like the epidemics that spread through meatspace, cyberspace bugs can spread like, well, viruses, mutating and attracting copycats along the way. When the Melissa e-mail virus was unleashed at the end of last April, the computer glitch not only clogged up workplace servers, it also revealed serious security flaws in e-mail applications. So what’s a Web surfer to do when invaded by a digimon like Melissa? Treatment could be found at various utility sites, which saw spikes in traffic following the Melissa outbreak. But the only way to avoid infection, it turns out, must be abstinence.–Kipp Cheng
IQ News: Data - Melissa Virus Spooks Users
