Nimda virus information

Virus information

09/18/2001 - Nimda, which is admin spelt backwards is a computer virus infects Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT, and 2000 computers running Microsoft Outlook. The virus is spread through e-mail and uses the Content-Type audio/x-wav so it can be ran automatically without the infected e-mail being open. Once a computer is infected, the virus attempts to share the C: drive and checks for the Code Red virus. Next, the virus adds JavaScript code to HTML (hypertext markup language) documents that opens the file readme.EML. The virus is then capable of spreading when this HTML document is open on other computers.

Symptoms

The system.ini file located in the Windows directory and has the following line:

Shell=explorer.exe load.exe -dontrunold

When selecting or opening an e-mail, the Microsoft Windows Media Player may open automatically but give an error. This likely indicates that the virus is attempting or has infected your computer.

How to clean virus or prevent it

Ensure you have the latest update for your virus protection program.

If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 or greater ensure you have the incorrect MIME (multipurpose Internet mail extensions) header patch installed on your computer.