Web virus threat fails to materialise

NEWS An apparently lethal Web virus uncovered by Finjan Software may be no more than a damp squib. Finjan kick-started the new year with gruesome details of a security glitch called Russian New Year, which could turn Microsoft Excel documents into secret agents. But the glitch exists only in theory and no incidents have been reported. Finjan claimed hackers could use the hole to reach any file on a computer via a Web site, even when Excel is not open. It has advised surfers to switch to a browser with high security, or else start using Finjan's SurfinGate software. But Chris Phillips, marketing director for JCP Computing Services, was not impressed. "There is the danger that commercial organisations are perceived as being over-motivated when it comes to discovering security holes that their own software can solve," he told Silicon.com. Finjan has posted a patch for the Russian New Year virus, which can be downloaded from http://www.finjan.com/rny/rny1.cfm