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First found on March 26, 1999, Melissa came to be one of the most infamous computer worms the world has ever seen. It shut down Internet mail systems that got clogged with infected e-mails propogating from the worm.
Melissa was first distributed in the Usenet discussion group alt.sex. The virus was inside a file called "List.DOC", which contained passwords that allow access into 80 X-Rated pornographic websites. The worm's original form was sent via e-mail to many people.
Melissa was written by David L. Smith in Aberdeen Township, New Jersey, and named after a lap-dancer he encountered in Florida. The creator of the virus called himself Kwyjibo, but was shown to be identical to macrovirus writers VicodinES and Alt-F11 who had several Word-files with the same characteristic Globally Unique Identifier ( GUID), a serial number that was earlier generated with the network card MAC address as a component. Smith was sentenced to 20 months in a federal prison and fined $5000.
Melissa can spread on word processorA word processor (also more formally known as a document preparation system is a computer application used for the production (including composition, editing, formatting, and possibly printing) of any sort of viewable or printed material. They are descend Microsoft WordMicrosoft Word is a word processor program from Microsoft. It was originally written by Richard Brodie for IBM PC computers running DOS in 1983. Later versions were created for the Apple Macintosh ( 1984), SCO UNIX and Microsoft Windows ( 1989). It became 97 and Word 2000. It can mass mail itself from e-mail client ( MUA) Microsoft OutlookMicrosoft Outlook is a personal information manager and email client program from Microsoft, and is part of the Microsoft Office suite. Although often used mainly as an e-mail application, it also provides calendar, task and contact management. It can be 97 or Outlook 98. The worm does not work on any other versions of Word, including Word 95. The worm cannot mass mail itself by any other mail client, even Outlook Express.
If a Word Document containing the virus, either LIST.DOC or another file infected, is downloaded and opened, then the macro in the document, which had the virus, runs and attempts to mass mail itself.
When the macro mass mails, it collects the first 50 entries from the alias list, or address book, and sends it to the e-mail addresses from those names.
This is what infected e-mails say:
From:If the worm already has sent itself, or cannot spread that way due to a lack of an internet connection or a lack of Outlook, the worm spreads to other Word Documents on the computer. Other infected documents can also be mailed. If confidential data is inside the document, the recipient of the e-mail containing the document can view it.
The worm's activation routine inserts quotes from the animated television programme " The SimpsonsHomer, Marge, Maggie, Santa's Little Helper, Bart, Snowball II, and Lisa. The Simpsons is the longest-running animated television series and sitcom series in U. television history, with 16 seasons and 338 episodes since its debut on December 17, 1989." into other documents. If the minutes of the hour of the computer's clock match the day of the month (I.E. 7:09 on the 9th day of the said month). Quotes include phrases like "Twenty-two points, plus triple-word-score, plus fifty points for using all my letters. Game's over. I'm outta here." The alias of the author, "Kwyjibo", is also a Simpsons reference.