Global software giant Microsoft has claimed victory over a crippling computer virus that taunted company boss Bill Gates.
But experts have warned users that the devastating threat posed by the Blaster "worm" is far from over.
The virus is believed to have been written by computer hackers with a grudge against Microsoft and has so far affected an estimated 300,000 PCs worldwide.
After weeks battling it in the US, and now in the UK, Microsoft announced last night that it had side-stepped any lingering threat posed by the worm by taking the targeted web page offline.
"The virus was designed to access the URL www.windowsupdate.com, but that address merely redirects people to the actual update site," said a spokesman for Microsoft.
"We have taken the redirect site offline, but I want to stress that the update page is still available through the Microsoft homepage.
"We have been though a number of timezones now with no problems and we do not expect any as the deadline passes in the UK or US," the spokesman added.
Although the threat from MS Blaster seemed to have been dealt with, Microsoft urged users to make sure the security flaw was fixed by downloading a "patch" programme from their update site.
In it the virus taunts company's chairman: "Billy Gates why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software!!."
Unlike previous viruses, which arrived as an email attachment, the Blaster 'worm' tunnels in undetected via an Internet connection.
Once inside, it slows down processing speed, reducing email trafic to a crawl and causing the machine to crash. But it does not appear to delete files or cause major lasting damage.
But experts have warned users that the devastating threat posed by the Blaster "worm" is far from over.
The virus is believed to have been written by computer hackers with a grudge against Microsoft and has so far affected an estimated 300,000 PCs worldwide.
After weeks battling it in the US, and now in the UK, Microsoft announced last night that it had side-stepped any lingering threat posed by the worm by taking the targeted web page offline.
"The virus was designed to access the URL www.windowsupdate.com, but that address merely redirects people to the actual update site," said a spokesman for Microsoft.
"We have taken the redirect site offline, but I want to stress that the update page is still available through the Microsoft homepage.
"We have been though a number of timezones now with no problems and we do not expect any as the deadline passes in the UK or US," the spokesman added.
Although the threat from MS Blaster seemed to have been dealt with, Microsoft urged users to make sure the security flaw was fixed by downloading a "patch" programme from their update site.
In it the virus taunts company's chairman: "Billy Gates why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software!!."
Unlike previous viruses, which arrived as an email attachment, the Blaster 'worm' tunnels in undetected via an Internet connection.
Once inside, it slows down processing speed, reducing email trafic to a crawl and causing the machine to crash. But it does not appear to delete files or cause major lasting damage.
