I-Worm.LoveLetter Shuts Down the World's E-mail Systems; Central Command Sees 67 Percent Increase in Help Call Traffic Over Melissa Virus Levels

Business Wire, May 4, 2000

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

MEDINA, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2000

Central Command Inc. issued a warning earlier today about a destructive Internet Worm. This virus has now reached an epidemic level never seen before.

I-Worm.Loveletter has caused many Fortune 500 companies in the US and the British Parliament to shut down their e-mail servers.

"This worm has stopped the productivity of the US work force by shutting down e-mail servers, a major form of communication. Central Command's EVRT (Emergency Virus Response Team) has been flooded with requests for support and concern over this global outbreak," said Steven Sundermeier, Manager of Technical Services at Central Command Inc. "Our support technicians have been instructed to direct all infected users to download from our website free software to detect, remove, and stop the spreading of this malicious I-Worm.LoveLetter."

Last year the financial impact of the Melissa virus reach an unprecedented level. The lost productivity severally hurt corporations worldwide while this virus was spreading. "If we compare the two outbreaks Melissa was the baby sister compared to I-Worm.Loveletter. Our support center is responding to a 67% increase in support requests than we did with the Melissa outbreak," stated Sundermeier.

This worm is high risk, and is aggressively infecting computer users. Central Command strongly urges all computers to update immediately.

I-Worm.LoveLetter is an overwriting Visual Basic Script worm that is spreading through the internet via a Microsoft Outlook e-mail message. This malicious worm exploits the Outlook e-mail application and distributes the "LoveLetter" as a chain letter. It has also been reported circulating through mIRC clients as well.

A free fully functional time limited antivirus software evaluation is available from Central Command at www.avp.com that can successfully detect and remove the I-Worm.LoveLetter worm.

About Central Command: Central Command Inc. is a privately held international company with headquarters in Medina, Ohio, USA. Founded in 1990 the company specializes in anti-virus protection products and focuses on serving the industrial market place, government, financial, educational institutions and service industries.