Dear Windows-Help.NET Subscriber,
Security and AntiVirus vendors announced that a new variation of the ExploreZip worm has been found. This dangerous worm has already infected a number of Fortune 500 companies as well as a host of smaller companies in the US during the business day on Tuesday, November 30.
This virus works like a chain letter and carries a destructive payload. So far, reports have been received from the USA, Europe and Asia. The virus is likely to spread globally within hours.
This virus is known as W32/ExploreZip.worm.pak. According to virus researchers, the original virus has been packed to reduce its file size to half. This made the new variant undetectable to most anti-virus programs, which has not been updated very recently. The virus itself arrives to a user via an e-mail attachment. When the attachment is opened, the virus will start to reply to e-mail messages, making it appear as if the user would have replied personally. In addition to this, once the virus infects one machine in a corporate network, it will start to look for other Windows workstations in the network. If another user has shared directories from his machine with others, the virus will try to infect this machine over the network.
"This seems to be spreading fast," Mikko Hypponen, Manager of Anti-Virus Research at Data Fellows Corporation, comments, "but not as fast as Melissa. The key issue here is that messages sent by ZippedFiles are very credible - they are normal-looking replies to messages you have sent earlier. You're quite likely to trust these messages and open the attachment."
More...
Obscure bug found in new Pentium III processors
Intel said that a recently discovered bug in the new Pentium III "Coppermine" processor will be eliminated soon, when the company moves to the next "stepping" version of the processor. Intel is also testing processors to weed out chips containing the flaw.
The flaw (called "erratum" in geek-speek) becomes apparent in the "boot-up" sequence. It essentially forces computer owners to hit the "on" button twice, according to an Intel spokesman. If a computer contains a chip with the flaw, it does not start until the second try.
According to an Intel spokesman the bug only affects 1 to 2 percent of Pentium III "Coppermine" processors and has only been observed in labs.
AMD releases 750-MHz Athlon
-Systems Based on 750MHz AMD Athlon™ Processor Available for Holiday Buying Season-
Escalating the pace in the PC processor market, AMD this week cranked up the frequency on its AMD Athlon™ processor, announcing the immediate availability of a 750MHz AMD Athlon processor. The 750MHz AMD Athlon processor is the industry's fastest and most powerful x86 processor, offering unparalleled performance for high-end and mainstream computer users. Many computer manufacturers plan to offer systems featuring the 750MHz AMD Athlon processor for the holiday buying season, including Compaq and others.
The 750MHz AMD Athlon processor is the first processor that is built using AMD's aluminum 0.18-micron manufacturing process, and new AMD Athlon processors are now being built using that advanced technology.
"With the 750MHz AMD Athlon processor, AMD has rolled out the fastest x86 processor of the millennium, offering computer users unrivaled performance leadership on advanced applications for both the commercial and consumer markets," said Dana Krelle, vice president of Marketing for AMD's Computation Products Group. "The advanced 0.18-micron manufacturing process technology enables AMD to continue delivering x86 processors that lead the industry in both performance and frequency."
Consumer interest in Athlon - combined with difficulties some PC makers say they are having in getting large volumes of the fastest Intel "Coppermine" Pentium III processors--is pushing some major computer makers to take a second look at Athlon.
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04 Dec. 1999, Vol 2 No. 48
