Although much of the effort to prepare for the Year 2000 involves checking computers and computer programs for their ability to handle the date change, a new twist is surfacing … so-called Y2K viruses.
Industry experts such as Symantec are concerned that virus writers might use this opportunity to develop viruses that may masquerade as Y2K problems, bearing fictitious messages such as: “Date Error”, “Date Unknown”, or “Data Sequence Problem”.
Other “Hoax” messages are designed to create confusion and loss of productivity even though the original message may actually be innocuous.
If you are interested in more information on these virus issues, please visit the President’s Y2K Council web.
During the Year 2000 transition weeks, it is highly advisable to watch the web sites of such anti-virus industry resources as the Symantec Anti-virus Research Center (SARC) and Network Associates.