Monday, February 4, 2002		Article

Don't be party to 'My Party'

A new computer bug that tries to trick computer users into clicking on a virus-infected Web link masquerading as party photos emerged in Asia last week and began spreading to Europe, computer experts said.

The so-called "My Party" worm, which is not considered destructive, spreads by infiltrating popular e-mail software Microsoft Windows Address Book and Outlook Express Database.

The worm e-mails itself to every person in an infected users' e-mail log making it look as if the worm comes from a colleague or friend, experts said.

Anti-virus specialist Trend Micro gave it a medium risk rating. Security firms said that compared with past e-mail worms, such as Nimda and Sircam, the number of reported "My Party" infections thus far is moderate. The virus arrives as e-mail with the subject line "new photos from my party!" It contains an innocuous looking file attachment called www. myparty.yahoo.com. A message in the body of the e-mail reads: "Hello! My party... It was absolutely amazing! I have attached my Web page with new photos! If you can please make color prints of my photos. Thanks!"

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos Anti-Virus, said because it carries what appears to be an authentic link from the popular Web portal Yahoo! and appears to come from a colleague or friend, the worm has the potential to spread quickly.

Sophos has devised a patch at www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/w32mypartya.html.

Syndrome may hit computer players

COMPUTER games with vibrating handheld control devices should carry health warnings because they can cause damage to hands, British doctors told Reuters last week.

The doctors think parents and children should be aware of potential health problems that could be caused by prolonged use of the devices.

"We believe that with increasing numbers of children playing these devices, there should be consideration for statutory health warnings to advise users and parents," Gavin Cleary of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London said.

Cleary and his colleagues called for the health warnings in a letter to the British Medical Journal after a 15-year-old boy developed symptoms similar to hand-arm vibration syndrome, which is caused by using industrial tools for long periods of time. The syndrome was classified as an industrial disease in 1985 and sufferers receive disability benefits and compensation. The boy, who played computer games with a vibrating control device for up to seven hours a day, suffered pain and swelling in his hands.

"The seven hours a day that our patient reported is excessive and exceeds the manufacturer's recommendation, but we must assume that this is not an uncommon occurrence," Cleary said.