Symantec develops tool to remove Stages worm  

Symantec has developed a tool to remove the changes to a computer system caused by VBS.STAGES.A, a new, fast-spreading polymorphic computer worm. Available at

, this tool removes VBS.STAGES.A infections from computers running on Windows 95/98, Windows NT and Windows 2000 systems.

"We are pleased to offer a tool that provides a fast, automated recovery process from damage caused by VBS.STAGES.A," said Jako Voges, Marketing Manager Africa and Middle East. "The Symantec Anti-Virus Research Center (SARC) recommends using this tool in combination with an anti-virus solution such as Norton Anti-Virus to ensure continued protection against malicious threats."

Users can verify the digital signature in Symantec's VBS.STAGES.A tool at www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/fix.vbs.stages.html to ensure that the tool is legitimate in case they receive it via e-mail. Norton AntiVirus users can download the definitions through Symantec's LiveUpdate feature and from the Symantec Web site at www.symantec.com/avcenter/download.html.

VBS.STAGES.A

VBS.Stages.A spreads itself like VBS.LOVELETTER.A, sending mail to a users' entire MS Outlook address book with a randomly generated subject line, which can overload mail servers. Additionally, the worm spreads itself via ICQ, mIRC and PIRCH and copies itself to mapped drives. The subject line may be one of 12 combinations and in some cases begins with "FW." The subject line will contain either "Life stages," "Funny" or "Jokes" or several combinations of these. This worm immediately deletes copies of the sent emails to ensure there is no record of its presence.

Symantec Anti-Virus Research Center

SARC, Symantec's AntiVirus Research Center, is one of the industry's largest dedicated team of virus experts. With offices located in the United States, Japan, Australia, and the Netherlands, the sun never sets on SARC. The center's mission is to provide swift, global responses to computer virus threats, proactively research and develop technologies that eliminate such threats, and educate the public on safe computing practices. As new computer viruses appear, SARC develops identification and detection for these viruses, and provides either a repair or delete operation, thus keeping users protected against the latest virus threats.