Kournikova virus tempts Internet users

A computer virus that tricks e-mail recipients into thinking they are about to view a picture of tennis player Anna Kournikova has been paralysing e-mail servers around the world. Experts said the new virus spread as rapidly as Love Bug, which crippled the e-mail servers of millions of users last May and caused tens of millions of dollars damage worldwide. The Kournikova virus tempts users with the message: "Hi: Check This!", with what appears to be a picture file labelled "AnnaKournikova.jpg.vbs". When users click on the attachment, the virus e-mails itself to every address in the user's address book. Although the virus is not believed to damage computers, it could overwhelm companies' computer systems with the huge volume of e-mails it creates. The virus, also known as the VBS and SST virus, was first discovered in August. It appeared to have originated in Europe. On Monday it hit e-mail services across the United States and Europe and was expected to affect tens of thousands of Australian computer users, said anti-virus research company Trend Micro, BBC reports. Moscow-born Anna Kournikova, 19, is the world's ninth-ranked female tennis player.