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COMPUTING

Melissa takes down Marine Corps e-mail

March 31, 1999
Web posted at: 8:46 a.m. EST (1318 GMT)

by Daniel Verton

From...
Federal Computer Week

(IDG) -- The fast-spreading e-mail virus "Melissa" forced the Marine Corps to shut down its base-to-base e-mail communications, a spokeswoman for the Marines confirmed Tuesday.

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According to the spokeswoman, the Marines are able to communicate internally within each base, but all base-to-base e-mail connectivity has been shut down until network administrators feel comfortable that they have taken the appropriate security measures to protect against the virus. Other Internet connections between bases has not been affected.

A spokeswoman for the Defense Department's Joint Task Force for Computer Network Defense said the Army and the Air Force took their servicewide servers down over the weekend to purge them of any messages that might contain the Melissa macrovirus.

Melissa began infecting systems across the country late last week and comes in the form of an e-mail attachment. While the virus does no harm to an organization's data or software, it can slow down and eventually crash the e-mail server. The virus propagates itself by using a PC user's e-mail address book to forward itself to other users.


RELATED STORIES:
'Melissa' mutates, becomes resistant to patch
March 30, 1999
Massive e-mail virus outbreak spreads like wildfire
March 29, 1999
Copycat virus follows quickly on Melissa's heels
March 29, 1999
How to protect yourself against Melissa
March 29, 1999
You've got (unwanted) mail
March 28, 1999

RELATED IDG.net STORIES:
'Melissa' mutates, becomes resistant to patch
(Computerworld)
Copycat virus follows quickly on Melissa's heels
(InfoWorld)
How to protect yourself against Melissa
(PC World)
Massive e-mail virus outbreak spreads like wildfire
(InfoWorld)
'Melissa' virus spreading through corporate networks
(Computerworld)
Just how destructive will 'Melissa' virus be?
(Industry Standard)
Virucide! All about virus killers
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Top 10 e-mail tools
(PC World)

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RELATED SITES:
Sendmail, Inc.
  • Melissa sendmail patch
Melissa Help Center
  • Melissa information
Trend Micro - Melissa information
Microsoft, Inc.
  • Microsoft's advisories - Melissa

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