Though the new virus called "Strange Brew" can affect programs on dozens of operating systems that support Java technology, it has not yet been considered a threat to typical end-users on a large scale, according to a report in Elsevier science journal Computer and Security.

The virus can affect both Java Applet files -- programs written in Java language that are downloaded from the World Wide Web (WWW) and run from within a web browser like Microsoft Internet Explorer -- and Java application files which are standalone programs that can be run on a computer.

It changes the directory, date and time stamp of each file it infects and increases file size by roughly 3890 bytes. The virus can spread through infected Java application files but infected Java applets cannot spread from within a properly secured web browser likenetscape navigator. As the infected applets fail the security checks imposed by the browser and are immediately terminated, internet users are at no risk from the virus, the report says.

The risk of infection is very small as very few companies and users worldwide use Java applications. However, Java application developers are at a risk, it adds.