ARCHIVED: What is the Melissa macro virus, and how do I remove it?

Melissa is a Microsoft Word macro virus (or worm) that is transmitted via email attachments. The subject line of the suspect message reads:

  Important Message From Username

(Username will be replaced with the name of the person whose computer is sending the messages.)

Please be careful about dealing with any message that you receive with this subject line, even if it appears to be from someone you know and trust. Do not download or open any attachments to such a message, as they likely contain the Melissa worm. It is best simply to delete the email message.

The Melissa worm replicates by sending multiple copies of itself to other recipients who execute the worm, enabling each of the copies to do the same. You, as an unsuspecting user, receive a message with an attached Word document that contains the macro. If you open the document in Microsoft Word, and if Word is permitted to execute the macro, the macro will propagate itself.

The Melissa worm also modifies your default document template so that any new Word documents you create will contain the worm. If you send one of these documents via email, the virus could begin to propagate using the recipient's computer as the starting point.

At Indiana University, for the most current information about the Melissa worm, including removing it and disinfecting and protecting your computer, point your web browser to the Information Technology Security Office Melissa page at:

  http://www.itso.iu.edu/melissa/

For additional information on the Melissa virus (or other viruses), search on the relevant term in Symantec's Virus Encyclopedia at:

  http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html