TECHNOLOGY - July 30, 1998

Microsoft Corp. and Netscape Communications Corp. have a software glitch in some e-mail programs that could affect millions of users by allowing hackers to infect computers with viruses. Microsoft posted a “patch,” or software fix, on its Web page that solves the problem, said spokesman George Meng. Mountain View, Calif.-based Netscape is also working on a patch it hopes to have completed within a week, said spokeswoman Julie Herendeen. A hacker can take advantage of the software problem by sending an e-mail with an attachment whose file name is longer than the program can accept. That causes the mail program to crash, and the computer then opens the attachment. That attachment could contain a program to infect the computer with a virus. The security problem affects Microsoft’s Outlook 98 and Outlook Express, which is included in Microsoft’s Internet browser. Netscape’s glitch is in its Communicator 4.0 and higher programs that run on Microsoft’s Windows operating system. Shares of Netscape lost $1.69 to close at $28.31, and Microsoft shares closed down $1.56 at $110.69, both on Nasdaq.