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Virus researches have raised the level of alert to Code Yellow for
the Heavyweight virus which physically destroys the hard drives of
its victims.
Heavyweight operates much like other self-replicating, self-spreading
viruses with one weighty exception, it arrives as a compressed attachment.
What is unique about this compressed file compared to a .zip or tar.gz
file is the density of compression. The file is so densely packed
that the attachments weighs 1,000,000 times more than normal compressed
data.
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| "Larger infections
of multiple files may cause your hard drive platters to deform
and even break under the extreme stress." |
"If your hard drive is only infected with one of the files
you may only notice a small knocking sound like a washing machine
out of balance," said Clarence Godfrey of the Anti-Virus Research
Consortium. "Larger infections of multiple files may cause your
hard drive platters to deform and even break under the extreme stress."
The danger is amplified by the fact that the attachment does not
require any action by the user. It only needs to be downloaded to
the hard drive. Experts advise that you quickly delete the attachment
before your hard drive has a chance to spin.
Before sending the attachment to your recycle bin make sure you
have reinforced the container, or the virus might crash right through
the bottom of the bin making a hole in your desktop. If this happens
you will need to patch your recycle bin before you can delete any
files.
"We're working on a solution to stop this virus because it's
really slowing down the Internet," said Godfrey. "Hard
drives aren't the only components at risk. Many cables and routers
clogged by the self-spreading virus are collapsing under its weight."
The virus also poses a risk for the young and the elderly as they
may be unable to lift the virus to delete it. There have already
been three reported cases of senior citizens becoming trapped under
the virus.
Godfrey suggested not downloading any attachments until the virus
has been eradicated.
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