I don't know much about this stuff, but it might be a good time to back up your files, at the least.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article342871.ece

An email I got today:
Experts are warning that a seductively-named but maliciously-behaving computer worm -- dubbed "Kama Sutra" -- is set to wreak havoc Friday on systems worldwide. There may be hundreds of thousands of machines already infected with the worm, which also goes by the monikers "BlackWorm," "CME-24," "Blackmal," "Mywife.E" and "Nyxem."

Computer security companies report that the Kama Sutra worm -- named after the famous Sanskrit treatise on love -- has been spreading through cyberspace since Jan. 16, packaged in emails with subject headings like "give me a kiss" and "crazy illegal sex." When users click on an attachment sent with the emails, their computers become infected with malicious software designed to replicate itself.

On Friday, Feb. 3 and the third of every month thereafter, the worm is programmed to go to work -- overwriting or corrupting Microsoft Windows Office documents, Word documents, Excel spread sheets, and PDF (portable document format)files.

Besides being careful about opening email messages and attachments, experts say users would be wise to back up their most valuable computer files on an external device such as a CD, zip drive or DVD.

Note that the firm's anti-virus software basically protects us from worms. The worm has spread mainly to ISPs (Internet Service Providers), meaning most of those infected are likely home users.

Robert