Hi John,
In the message "[MAGNet] Macro Virus protection", dated 2000-10-02,
John Fiorillo wrote:
>(1) Is it common for PC macro viruses in the MS Word application to
>also affect MS Word on the Mac?
Yes. However, some Microsoft Word macro viruses perform actions
specific to Windows, and thus may be limited in their ability to
replicate or to deliver their 'payloads' when run under Mac OS
versions of Word.
>(2) Do the symptoms described above suggest that we do anything
>else beyond updating and hopefully eradicating the virus? Are we OK
>if the prompts stop appearing, or are the affected files (i.e.,
>those saved after the infection) corrupted in some way and require
>deletion?
Virex can successfully repair most infected files. For instance,
Virex is able in nearly all cases to remove viral macro code from
infected Microsoft Word files in a manner which leaves these files
unmodified (sans for the removal of the macro[s]) and entirely usable.
Here's what Virex's vendor has to say about this in the Virex 6.0
User's Guide:
>When the Virex application repairs an infected file, it removes the virus code
>from the file and restores it to its original state. ... Network
>Associates recommends that you replace infected files with
>uninfected copies of the original files, but if you do not have a
>virus-free copy, you can use the Virex application to repair nearly
>any infected file.
Aron Roberts
Workstation Software Support Group
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