FBI tracks author of the Worm

The FBI is trying to track down the author of the Worm virus that left security managers on red alert at the end of last week.

The Worm.Explore.Zip virus created as much panic as the Melissa virus earlier this year when it spread like wildfire through companies' email systems.

Security experts were immediately concerned about the highly malicious nature of the Worm virus - which can strip Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files from users' computers - claiming that it displays the trademarks of a highly sophisticated and motivated creator.

The FBI was fast on the tracks of the Melissa author and is now advancing legal proceedings against him that could result in a life sentence and fines of up to $250,000.

Meanwhile, security experts reported a quiet morning on the virus front - it seems that security managers in corporates were propelled into action over the weekend to ensure systems were updated and secured against the risk.

"People are handling this far better than they did Melissa. The Melissa scare helped security managers prepare for the next virus and made handling it easier and quicker," said Paul Ducklin, head of research at Sophos, a security systems developer.

The Melissa scare suffered aftershocks as other hackers obtained the code mutated it to create new variants. Alex Shipp, of Star ISP which monitors virus levels, is confident this won't happen because of the high level of sophistication used to create the Worm virus.