The virus comes as an attachment that appears to be a screen saver (Gone.scr).

If you click on this attachment, the worm infects your computer, shows an error message to disguise itself, and then attempts to close programs that are running, deletes .exe files, firewalls and anti-virus software. It also replicates itself, and gets sent to contacts in your address book. Logically therefore, the mail will seem to have come from a familiar person. This article says that it also tries to send itself through online chat programs like IRC and ICQ. It does so by modifying the settings to disable notifications, and sends copies of itself to your online buddies.

McAfee has labelled it as High Risk, and this page offers information on its detection and removal. Symantec Security Response has assessed that the Goner virus has high distribution and causes medium damage. To manually remove this worm, it is necessary to restart the computer in Safe mode. Get comprehensive instructions here. You will also need to reinstall your antivirus software.

As Anti-virus companies are constantly upgrading to meet this challenge, it is advisable for users to update their antivirus software on a regular basis. These guidelines for safer computing, can also be followed.

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