MSBlast is a virus found on August 11, 2003 that exploits a hole in Windows XP found in the Remote Procedural Call section. The security leak will allow a hacker or anybody with a vicious intent and a working knowledge of cracking one's computer to seize root and plant a virus on your computer, without having to go through e-mail or a web site. The name MSBlast comes from the name of the executable program that resides on an infected computer. This virus, also known as WORM_MSBLAST.A, W32.BLASTER.WORM, and W32/LOVESAN.WORM, will then begin to scan IP addresses at random, pick one, and propagate itself onto another computer. Some people will never see any symptoms of the virus, and it will only propagate on a Windows XP or Windows 2000 environment. However, the effects of the virus are rather nasty. It can reboot your computer at any time without input from the user, and it can restrict you from your Internet connection. The next thing this virus will do, is at Midnight on Friday, August 15, every infected computer will begin to send small packets of data to the WindowsUpdate.com site in an attempt to bring it offline. Several anti-virus programs already have new definitions for detecting and removing it. Experts have compared this virus to the Boomer virus that brought down corporate networks in January of 2003.