In the wake of a destructive virus that attacked companies around the world, many security companies are taking care to be well prepared to catch the next virulent bug. Yet some industry experts fear these companies could be sounding premature alarms for bugs that might not pack much of a punch. Though virus warnings are aimed at consumer protection, some security specialists say that companies could be tempted to hype innocuous viruses. That is because even though viruses are bad news for most corporations and consumers, they tend to boost the profiles of companies that specialize in security software. It creates more sales for the antivirus software companies.
Some viruses bark more than they bite, however.
Accounts of its crippling nature didn't wind up posing a serious threat to the Internet community, Smith said. Another overhyped scenario involved the numerous warnings surrounding Y2K viruses that never materialized. Any Windows 95 or 98 users. But many other security companies downplayed the threat, saying that it appeared to be more of a nuisance than a menace. The virus does not destroy or override files.