Date:19/12/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/12/19/stories/2004121901392000.htm

National

Worming its way into seasons' greetings

By K. Srinivas Reddy

HYDERABAD, DEC. 18. Computer users might now prefer to send seasons' greeting cards by snail-mail instead of an e-card, thanks to two mass-mailing worms spreading across the Internet.

If you get an e-mail with the subject line "Merry X-Mas!" or "Happy New Year" and with the text message, "Happy New year and wish you good luck next year," you should hit the delete key. For, this e-mail is sure to contain the latest mass-mailing worm, Atak. H. It would send itself to all the contacts listed in the e-mail users' account. The first one, Zafi.D, is spreading fast, and has a similar subject line — "Merry Christmas! Happy HollyDays!" Is it not better to buy a greeting card and snail mail it rather than be saddled with a malicious worm in your computer?