A rapidly spreading computer virus, which has been slowing Internet traffic around the world and infecting thousands of computers since its discovery Monday, has made its way onto the University's server.
The Office of Information Technology stabilized the threat to students and faculty by updating its e-mail filter and notifying individuals with infected computers. However, David Menzies, marketing manager for OIT, cautioned that the worm remains a threat.
The "Mydoom" worm spreads through e-mail by posing as a legitimate-looking Word attachment, creating a backdoor for hackers and installing a keystroke program once the attachment is opened. Popular antivirus software and patching filters are able to remedy the virus or halt its spread, but only the most newly updated versions.
The virus has been daunting technology analysts with its speed and magnitude, as companies around the globe report problems from the bug.
"As far as I can tell right now, it's pretty much everywhere on the planet," Vincent Gullotto, vice president of Network Associates' Antivirus Emergency Response Team, told the Associated Press.
Menzies said the infection was inevitable on the University's server. "Large corporations are reporting multiple infections through their entire organizations," he said. "It's not just a Duke thing."
"Mydoom," which is also referred to as the "Novarg" virus by some technology groups, surfaced on the University's server Monday, but OIT worked quickly to halt its spread.
"Filters in place started catching most of the virus, but since it is new, it did get through to some users throughout the University," Menzies said. "As soon as we noticed the virus getting through, we contacted some folks who helped with a [better] filter."
Once OIT found the bug on its system, it went to work to both identify and notify individuals with infected computers. The office was still determining Tuesday which computers were infected and getting in touch with affected users.
"Our first priority was to stop the darn thing," Menzies said.
The department hopes that, once notified, affected users will download antivirus software and patches from the OIT website to remedy the problem.
More than anything, OIT advises users to delete-and not open-unsolicited e-mails with executable attachments.
"Even if you have the best filtering system in the world, new stuff is still going to get through from time to time," Menzies said. "So just delete stuff. Don't open attachments and don't preview [e-mails]."
Cindy Yee and the Associated Press contributed to this story.
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