The first big virus scare for the year has arrived. Unfortunately it’s a bit silly. And it’s name is misspelled.

It has been a while since a virus scare so the Bagel/Beagle virus has received a lot of publicity. As viruses go, it’s pretty basic, it’s an email with Hi! As the subject line, test as the message and an exe file as the infected attachment. As viruses go, it’s a pretty basic effort, The Register’s contempt for this particular virus sums it up.

The usual precautions for this virus apply. Don’t open unsolicited attachments, don’t open executable attachments, keep your system updated with the latest security patches and have an up-to-date virus checker.

With the massive upsurge in trojan horses and fake security notices we can expect some tricks from the virus writers this year. Make sure you don’t become a victim of these scams by making sure your computer is safe. If you have been infected, Symantec have posted removal instructions.