Some computers at various departments at the University have been infected by a virus that turns Microsoft Word documents into templates.

Tools have been developed to eradicate the virus. Refer to the following Web pages for help: http://ded-2-nt.nosc.mil/desktop_support/winword/concept_virus.htp or http://www.ncsa.com/wordvir1.html or http://clem.digital.net/wwmacro.html

Q. What is the prank macro?

A. Microsoft Word is a target of a prank macro which distributes itself through documents created in Word 6.0 for Windows 3.1, Word for the Macintosh, Word for Windows NT, and Word for Windows 95. When you try to save a document, the prank macro only lets you save the document as a template. After you open a document containing the prank macro, documents you save from Word will contain copies of the prank macro. The prank macro does not affect the contents of the document and the files are not lost.

Q. How serious is this prank and what is the worst thing that could happen?

A. This prank macro is an annoyance, but does not cause data loss or other serious system corruption. Users should not be concerned that their data or computer is in jeopardy.