Thursday virus set to touch down in December

Yet another virus has been unleashed on the IT community aimed at ravaging our systems in December. The imaginatively named "Thursday" virus is similar to the Chernobyl and 'Christmas' viruses in that it wrecks computer hard drives. It targets Word '97, but we can all sleep easy in our beds as experts have caught the bug early enough to stop any major spreading. Officially called W97M/Thus.A. virus, the new kid on the virus block has baffled experts – no one understands the significance of the December 13 date when it's meant to trigger, especially as it isn't even a Friday. According to anti-virus company Network Associates, the virus has been found in computer systems in 20 countries, including the UK, Poland, Germany, France and the US. ®