We received the following email message yesterday at the Help Desk from an employee at our parent company in Japan:
have detected a virusu(WORM_BADTRANS.B) in my traffic on
 9th January 23:58 with my personal computer at my home.
And I scanned my computer using anti-virus vaccine(Norton) 
 It might be happen virus was send to you using my home/
mobile address to addressee listed
in my address book.

Please keep in mind to detect such mal virus.
 
Now my computer system is alive.

Maybe I've watched too much anime, but I got a definite chill as I read that last part. Ordinarily, BADTRANS itself would be nothing to worry about; it's an old virus and our protective software was updated with its pattern long ago. It couldn't...it shouldn't...get into our network.

And yet. "Now my computer system is alive."

I find myself wondering what the fate of the man who sent us that urgent, garbled transmission was. Death? Or is he even now in communion with a new life form, a meeting that will herald a new era for mankind?

Until I know for certain, I will keep his exhortation toward increased vigilance to heart. Yes, my friend, I will "keep in mind to detect such mal virus." And may God help us all.

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