First Windows 2000 virus discovered

The new virus, "Win2K.Inta" or "Win2000.Install", is designed to work specifically on the Windows2000 platform and does not pose a threat to users of earlier editions of Windows, according to F-Secure.

The firm has, however, received no reports of the virus "in the wild" and does not consider it a major threat to computer users. Win2K.Inta (Win2000.Install) nevertheless carries a malicious payload, infecting files transferred between computers.

The virus infects files with the following extensions: EXE, COM, DLL, ACM, AX, CNV, CPL, DRV, MPD, OCX, PCI, SCR, SYS, TSP, TLB, VWP, WPC and MSI. According to F-Secure it was created by virus-writing group "29A".

Mikko Hypponen, manager of anti-virus research at F-Secure, believes the discovery heralds a new era in virus writing and virus protection. "Now we can expect virus writers to include Windows 2000 compatibility as a standard feature in new viruses," he says.

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