Indigo says disc `worm' virus is virtually harmless

More than 65,000 Sunday newspaper readers have received a compact disc containing a computer virus, The Irish Times has learned.

The disc, a promotion for the Internet access company Indigo, came free with The Sunday Business Post last Sunday.

Yesterday, Indigo said it was "98 per cent sure" the "worm" virus was in fact harmless.

"We have received verbal communication that the worm is version D of Autostart 98, which actually inoculates computers against the destructive versions of Autostart 98," a spokeswoman for Indigo said.

Autostart 98 first appeared in China and Taiwan last May. Versions A, B, E and F destroy files, but versions C and D prevent these from damaging documents.

Indigo stressed last night that the virus only affects users of the very latest version of the Apple Macintosh operating system, OS8. This means, however, that purchasers of Apple's new Imac computer could be infected. It does not transfer to users of windows or other operating systems, the company added.

The company says it was reluctant to issue a formal warning about the virus because it had not received written confirmation from the anti-virus specialist now checking the compact discs that it was the harmless version.

However, sources at the State-owned Internet access provider said if the virus had been destructive, the chances are there would have been a flood of calls. In fact, Indigo received only three calls and none reported damaged files, the sources said.

On current market estimates, perhaps 5 per cent of computer owners have a Macintosh. Of these, only a small number will have a new type. Also, almost all of the new Macintosh machines come pre-loaded with new Internet software - few would need to upload Indigo's software.

The real danger lies in users who do not load the disc immediately but keep it handy for use at some point in the future.

However, if the virus does turn out to be of a non-destructive type, this will make little difference. Industry sources said yesterday one large Dublin design company - a heavy user of Apple Macintosh computers - has been infected with the D version for several months, with no problems reported. The compact disc was prepared in August, Indigo said, when the latest anti-virus software did not pick up and destroy the autostart 98 worm.

Indigo said it would be taking an advertisement in today's edition of The Irish Times - as well as tomorrow's Sunday Business Post -which would include a free phone number for any computer user concerned about the virus.