Filmore and Gus, Chartered Accountants, are the auditors of Campbells' Toy Store (CTS), a local retail opera¬ tion, and you, CA, are in charge of the audit. In January 2002, you completed the inventory count and internal control test¬ ing. All procedures ran smoothly and no discrepancies were found. It is now March 2,2002, and you are at the CTS offices to start the February 28 year-end audit. The controller, Gina Cooper, is explaining an incident that occurred before year end.

We lost control of our microcomputer system temporarily. At noon on February 14, 2002, our computer system shut down. A red heart then appeared on all the computer screens, with "Happy Valentine's Day" written under it. This went on for an hour, after which the computer system started working again.

It appears that someone introduced a computer virus into our system that affected every program in the network. The virus program was activated by a time and date: noon on Valentine's Day. Once the program had run its course, our sys¬ tem returned to normal.

We have no way of knowing just what else this program did. Such unauthorized programs can change data in the computer, erase files, cause general damage, or do all three. Sometimes, even when the perpetrator intends no harm, an unauthorized program can cause unintended results. We still don't know how this virus got into the system. It could have been entered by one of our employees playing a joke or by someone breaking into our computer through our modem access, or the program could have come in through one of the purchased programs we use. We have spent a lot of time and money trying to remove this program and appear to have suc¬ ceeded.

After you explained the virus incident to the audit part¬ ner, he asked you to provide him with a memo discussing the auditing implications of this event. In addition, the partner wants you to recommend controls that could be instituted to prevent viruses from entering CTS's computer system in the future.

Required Prepare the memo to the partner.