A local Internet service provider warned this week that people who get e-mails with the subject line ?don?t worry be happy? should worry ? the message is a new computer virus.

Logic Communications said the ?worm?, known as W32. Erkez.B or W32.paps.Amm, does ?mild? damage to personal computers, Logic said, but added that ?the nuisance factor is extremely high for many users?.

?The address the worm uses to be sent from is not the infected computer, making it difficult to track where the problem stems from,? Logic said. ?The subject line is likely to be ?Don?t worry, be happy!? and ?Check this out kid!!!?, among others.?

Logic spokeswoman Vicki Abraham said most homes and businesses in Bermuda had been affected by the worm and urged all home users to update their anti-virus software.

She said that people with up to date anti-virus software might see an e-mail with the message, but the e-mail would be quarantined and therefore would not affect their PC.

?People with out of date anti-virus software should run a live-update of their anti-virus software and run a system scan if they think they are at risk,? Logic chief technical officer Wayne Scott said.

He added that Logic also had a virus-filter service for all customers, which helped to reduce the amount of nuisance mail delivered, but he said the sheer volume of e-mails meant that there would be some delays in receiving legitimate e-mails.

Ms Abraham said that people who did nothing about the virus would then ?continually perpetuate the message to other people? by sending it on from the user?s e-mail address book.