A news virus is rapidly spreading through MSN chat system.  If you receive weird links or files from people in your MSN contact list, you should be aware that this might be an attempt to infect you by a virus.

- This virus can cause serious damage. In a worst case scenario the virus will try to download a spybot that allows other people to connect to your machine, says senior virus analyst Snorre Fagerland. - In that case, the computer can be remotely controlled to do whatever the virus author wants it to do, e.g. spread illegal files.

The virus will spread by sending itself to all persons listed in the infected computer’s MSN contact list. The spybot may also infect a local network.

- The best way to avoid getting infected is to not open links and run programs even it they appear to be sent from someone you know. If you are suspicious of a message, the smart thing to do is to mail the sender and ask what he/she sent you.