“Destructive computer viruses are back. Last week, Mydoom.F began replicating itself on tens of thousands of home and business computers,” Byron Acohido reports for USA Today. “Like other viruses, it spreads by tricking PC users into opening a viral e-mail attachment. It then e-mails a copy of itself to all e-mail contacts found on the PC, and opens a back door to receive more hacker commands.”

“But MyDoom.F does something viruses have not done since 1999: It begins systematically deleting files. ‘Viruses that destroy files happen rarely,’ says Alan Paller, research director at security think tank the SANS Institute. ‘They are very worrisome.’ Mydoom.F isn’t spreading as fast as its predecessor, Mydoom.A, which has infected an estimated 2 million PCs worldwide since late January. But it could wreak more havoc, experts say,” Acohido reports.

“The virus deletes Microsoft Word documents, Excel spread sheets and Access database files, along with digital images and movies. It appears to target files that typically represent extensive cumulative work,” Acohido reports.

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Nowhere in the article does the writer deign to mention that only Windows OS machines are affected. The closest he gets is to refer to those affected as “PC users.” That could easily be misconstrued as “personal computer users.” But, Mac OS X users are unaffected by this (or any other) virus or worm. Why not clearly specify that only Windows users are affected? Is this just really shoddy reporting or is it deliberately written in such a way as to obscure the facts? Why the lack of clarity? You decide. Moo.

Related MacDailyNews article:
Washington Post: Internet punishing for Windows users, Mac users surf with impunity – February 28, 2004