The SCO Group, Inc. today announced it has put alternatives in place for individuals wanting to access its company Web site. The company is asking customers, resellers, developers, shareholders and all other Web site visitors to use www.thescogroup.com as the destination for the company’s Web site through the end of Feb. 12, 2004. The company is putting this alternative Web address in place because the recently announced Mydoom or Novarg virus creates an attack that is designed to prevent access to www.sco.com from Feb. 1-12, 2004.
“Security experts are calling Mydoom the largest virus attack ever to hit the Internet, costing businesses and computer users around the world in excess of $1 billion in lost productivity and damage,” said Darl McBride, president and CEO, The SCO Group, Inc. “Because one of its purposes is to interrupt access to the www.sco.com Web site, we are taking steps to help our important stakeholders continue to access the information, data and support that they need from this new www.thescogroup.com Web site.”
The www.thescogroup.com Web site will provide visitors with all of the accessibility and resources that they would normally have when visiting www.sco.com . In addition, the company is including links that point visitors to security vendors, including Network Associates and Symantec, that will provide them with all of the latest information on how to download software updates and protect their PCs against the Mydoom virus.
“Increased traffic has already begun hitting www.sco.com in the last couple of days,” said Jeff Carlon, director of worldwide IT infrastructure, The SCO Group. “We expect hundreds of thousands of attacks on www.sco.com because of these viruses. Starting on Feb. 1 and running through Feb. 12, SCO has developed layers of contingency plans to communicate with our valued customers, resellers, developers, partners and shareholders. The first step of that plan is the implementation of www.thescogroup.com.”
For those having problems getting through to SCO on the Web, customers may call their local sales office or 1-800-SCO-UNIX (726-8649) to gain assistance from a SCO representative.
Earlier this week, SCO announced that it is working with U.S. law enforcement authorities including the U.S. Secret Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to determine the identity of the perpetrators of the Mydoom virus. The company also announced that it has offered a reward of up to a total of $250,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual(s) involved with the creation of the virus. Anyone with credible information or leads should contact their local FBI office.
“We believe that Microsoft’s $250,000 reward in addition to the $250,000 reward offered by SCO will significantly assist the FBI in obtaining serious leads that may help catch the perpetrators of this virus,” said McBride.
