NY.COM E-MAIL USERS PROTECTED AGAINST THE "LOVE" VIRUS
BUFFALO, NY (May 4, 2000) Chek.com (www.chek.com), the leading provider of Branded web-based e-mail solutions on the Internet, announced that their users are protected against the 'ILOVEYOU' virus that has already resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in lost e-commerce and software damage across the world.
The "ILOVEYOU" virus is devastating and many organizations were affected and forced to shut down their systems to prevent it from spreading. The virus propagates itself through e-mail networks, and replicates itself by manipulating files on a user's hard drive. Users receive an e-mail with a "Love Letter" attachment. If the user deletes the e-mail without opening the attachment, their computer is safe from harm. Once a computer is infected, the virus transmits itself through e-mail using Outlook's address book.
Mark Musone, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Chek.com said, Client-based e-mail programs like Microsoft Outlook are extremely vulnerable to self-propagating viruses like the one we've seen today. In general, users should never open attachments that seem suspect. Musone continues, "Now that e-communication is becoming a staple in businesses, many organizations are choosing to outsource these needs to companies like ours. This provides greater security and availability to a company that chooses not to hire an entire IT staff."
The Chek.com web-based system is inherently more secure than Microsoft Outlook. The Technology Department at Chek.com has verified that the 'LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU' attachment cannot be viewed or downloaded on either their Affinity E-mail [www.mailchek.com] or Business E-Communications [www.bizchek.com] solutions.