WASHINGTON, May 6 (UPI) -- Computer experts say the Sasser Windows worm will be around for a long time to come, the BBC reported Wednesday.
Since its first appearance on May 1, the virus has disrupted work around the world and infected hundreds of thousands of Windows PCs. Hospitals, banks, airlines, government agencies, and many home users have been infected by the worm that makes PCs crash repeatedly.
The virus infects PCs running Windows 2000 and XP.
Microsoft announced that more than 1.5 million people have visited the Web page detailing ways to get rid of Sasser and close the loophole it exploits.
Although the worst of the outbreak is over, anti-virus experts have said the virus may never disappear.
Richard Archdeacon, technical services director from security firm Symantec, said many malicious programs follow a cyclical pattern of outbreak and clean-up for a long time after they first appear.
"That's the ... argument for patching your machines," he said, "these viruses come back."
