Computer virus arrives in Ghana

The National Communication Authority (NCA) says three viruses identified in the world of Internet have surfaced in Ghana.

They are Code Red Worm, SirCam and Magistr, a release from the Authority on Friday signed by the Acting Director General, Major J. R. K. Tandoh warned.


"The Redworm affects systems running Microsoft Index Server 2.0 or the Windows 2000 Indexing Service, while the SirCam embeds itself in random Microsoft Office document and, thereafter, sends itself and attachment to all names in the victim's e-mail address book. The Magistr virus is extremely dangerous and spreads via e-mails and local area networks.


The release requested the public to take immediate steps to download the latest virus software to rectify the problem.

"The viruses have the potential to publish sensitive information documents on computer Hard Disk and is capable of completely deleting all files on the infested Hard Drive."


The release advised Internet users to call their various Internet Service Providers or follow anti-virus instructions on the web to avoid becoming victims