Files infected with a virus?

[livingfortoday]

Ok, this is kind of a weird question.

My friend has been trying to email Word files off of her Mac Mini, but Gmail keeps saying they have viruses, and won't let her send them.

Yahoo Mail claims that there were viruses that it "neutralized", and then she can send the files.

The files were made on a PC, and edited on the Mac Mini. Does anyone know how to get rid of this virus? Is it really a virus?

Thanks!

 

[CanadaRAM]

Yes, Word Macro Virus, it is a cross-platform virus because it is written in the MS Office macro language and infects the templates in Word.

Go to microsoft.com and search for Macro Virus, there is much detail about how to handle them.

 

[livingfortoday]

Okay, I ran autoupdate, and there were tons of updates I hadn't installed on my Mac specifically pertaining to macro viruses. So. Now that the problem is fixed (I think), will the files be ok if I open 'em up and resave them? Will Word automatically fix the issue?

 

[NYmacAttack]

Okay, I ran autoupdate, and there were tons of updates I hadn't installed on my Mac specifically pertaining to macro viruses. So. Now that the problem is fixed (I think), will the files be ok if I open 'em up and resave them? Will Word automatically fix the issue?

After being updated I think resaving them should fix the problem. If not you could look on microsoft page about the macro virus and see if there is another solution.

 

[CanadaRAM]

IIRC there is a specific routine that they offer for purging the virus and cleaning specific documents -- if not cleaned up, it will attempt to reinfect your 'Normal' template. I think you still have to take action on each document -- the updates just close the door on additional viruses arriving. Keep reading the microsoft site...