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One last time...to calm any remaining fears.
- To: Ag-Impact@mtn.org (Receipt Notification Requested),       sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu (Receipt Notification Requested)
- Subject: One last time...to calm any remaining fears.
- From: Alison Hess <Alison.Hess@usda.gov>
- Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 13:07:00 -0400
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- UA-Content-Id: One last time...
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I've heard from a number of you that wish to clarify the working of this
particular virus.  The bottom line sounds like:  You need only be
concerned about wazzu.a if you are a WORD97/EXCEL97 user on a PC
who downloads files from the internet, attachments from E-mail, or
documents from floppies or laptops.  My Emails cannot have infected you
(but then again, our scan showed we had 2 different viruses!).
My thanks to all of you who have explained this to me, and urged me to
share this to calm anyone else's fears.
Alison
Here are a few excerpts:
WAZZU.A macro virus is limited to Word 97, a Windows-based
application.  While Mac users have Word Macro viruses of
their own to worry about, this is apparently not one of them.  And I don't
think there's any WordPerfect macro virus.  My condolences to those of
you with a full-blown Gates monkey on your back.
And, perhaps more reassuring:
"...the general info that gets put out everytime someone passes along
one of those email virus warning hoax letters on a list is that up to this
point you can't get a computer virus simply by reading an email message.
 It has to be downloaded onto your machine as an executable program,
such as the macro in Word.  So by opening up a Word document you had
sent to someone else as an attachment, it could transfer to someone
else's machine.  As I read the info on Wazzu, I think it would have to be a
Word document you opened up in Word or Office 97.  That certainly 
reduces the likelihood that very many people would have picked it up 
from you over an email list."