A barrage of virus-infected e-mails has flooded Duke computers over the past few days.
The e-mails, sent under the subject line "Account Alert" from admin@duke.edu, entered the network last Thursday and quickly spread through the system. The virus, called Mytob, is infecting computers across campus, as many unsuspecting students open what they think is an important message.
"The virus was sent to someone at Duke, got into his address book and attacked the network," said Chris Cramer, information technology security officer at the Office of Information Technology.
Mytob infects computers when the e-mail's attached link is clicked and spreads through e-mail attachments and network shares.
The e-mail "pretends to be from the security office of whatever place it's trying to infect. The virus was probably spread around the country and around the world," Cramer said.
Mytob turns off anti-virus applications and gives outside users access to computers. The virus sends itself to e-mail addresses found on the infected computer and modifies its stored data.
In August, Mytob accounted for over half of the virus infections found on computers around the world.
Although the virus has not been completely eradicated from the Duke network, OIT has taken steps to block it.
"We have gotten rid of the majority of it," Cramer said.
Freshman Rob Copeland has received twelve of the viral e-mails.
"Because the subject of the e-mail was 'account alert,' I tried to download the attached file. I thought something was wrong with my Bursar's account," Copeland said. "After receiving the message so many times, I figured it had to be a virus."
The e-mail has also spread to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. When the virus first appeared on the university's network last Wednesday, officials at UNC's Information Technology Services immediately blocked the link and warned students and the school community about the threat.
"We still had a number of people who got it, of course," said Jeanne Smythe, director for computing policy and compliance at ITS. "We have site license for anti-virus software, and we advise students to use that."
UNC freshman Annie McCollum received the infected e-mail and said it has been an inconvenience.
"My computer has gotten so slow recently because of the virus," she said. "It's been a hassle while I've been writing papers and doing my Spanish homework online."
Duke's OIT website offers free anti-virus software to protect computers. The website also contains links to learn about current threats.
Students can take several measures to protect their computers, technology officials said.
Their computers should have a firewall installed to guard against infection. Most e-mail accounts also have spam features to filter out virus-containing e-mails.
If e-mails are sent from an unknown address or look suspicious, students should not download their attachments.
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