Byline: ANDREW LEVY
A NEW computer virus is expected to bring chaos to thousands of businesses reopening today after the Bank Holiday.
The Sasser bug is believed to have infected up to a million computers around the world, with a large proportion of those in the UK.
Home users are also a prime target and could be hit without doing anything other than accessing the Internet.
Unlike traditional viruses which are transmitted through emails and attachments, Sasser spreads to computers directly through the network.
It targets a known security flaw in the Windows operating system.
Though Microsoft knew about the weakness and has released a downloadable remedy on its website, many users have still to apply it.
Sasser is able to scan the Internet for computers which have not yet plugged the loophole.
The bug attacks recent versions of Microsoft Windows, such as Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP.
It will slow down operation of the machine or crash it. In some cases it will keep shutting down and restarting the computer.
Graham Cluley, senior technical consultant at anti- virus firm Sophos, said: 'You don't have to open an email or go to a dodgy website. Sasser is actively hunting for victims and if you're plugged in, your computer could be infected within minutes.' Small to medium businesses and home computer users are the most likely victims as they do not regularly update their firewalls, the electronic security systems that stop information accessing computers unless it is from a trusted or known source.
However large businesses remain at risk through workers who have picked up the virus on laptops while working at home over the weekend.
When they link them to the firm's network, the virus will spread. Mark Grady, o f I T consultancy Intraliant, said: 'Small to medium- sized businesses are more at risk. These are the people who should be checking their machines.' Sasser was first identified a fortnight ago, when it was limited to a few thousand computers worldwide. Since then it has spread rapidly.
A bank in Australia has had to shut down all its computers and staff are using pens and paper.
The virus is believed to have been developed by a shadowy group who call themselves Skynet, after the computer system that attempts to destroy mankind in the Terminator films.
Two months ago a Governmentbacked report revealed that computer viruses were costing British business billions of pounds. Half of all companies were hit by bugs last year, three times as many as four years ago.
Most of the viruses found their way into computers and networks via email, which can bypass anti-virus software.
Chris Potter, lead author of the report, said at the time: 'The average business is being infected twice a year - and more often for big companies with lots of computers.
'It is very hard to foresee a day when the danger will not be there.' The Mydoom bug, which struck computers earlier this year, became the quickest spreading and most damaging virus of all time.
It cost businesses worldwide an estimated [pounds sterling] 40billion and UK firms up to [pounds sterling]10billion It infiltrated systems through email attachments and spread by sending copies of itself to every entry in the receiver's email address book.
Experts have warned that the world's computer systems are increasingly at risk from 'cyber terrorists' who could paralyse transport and communications systems.
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