IP: WORD MACRO VIRUSES COULD COST A BUNDLE

[Dave Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

WORD MACRO VIRUSES COULD COST A BUNDLE
The latest epidemic of Microsoft Word macro viruses could cost American
businesses billions of dollars in lost productivity and maintenance this
year, predict computer security experts.  A National Computer Security
Association survey of 300 large North American companies shows 50% suffered
macro virus attacks in January and February.  The Word viruses are
especially contagious because they can be transmitted through applications
such as e-mail.  "The most striking thing is how fast they're spreading and
how widespread the infestations are," says the president of the Computer
Security Institute.  NSCA estimates virus-caused losses to U.S. companies
will total $5 billion to $6 billion, up from $1 billion last year.  Half of
the increase is attributable to the Word macro viruses.  Microsoft says its
Virus Protection Tool, available at < http://www.microsoft.com/ > offers
protection from the virus.  (Information Week 1 Apr 96 p22)