New Worm Poses As Security Patch

[Schraven Robert]

This virus is really very good.
Today I had to delete twice (2 times 3 Mb) the contents of my incoming mail box as it was filled with the virus-mails.
My computer expert tells me I have to sit it out but I wonder. I never had so much problems with a virus before.
What I find strange is that it does not seem as if the virus is common knowledge, as if it is only going around forum users.

Any body any ideas?

Robert Schraven

[Chuck Snyder]

Robert, I've seen a write-up from a network administrator for one of the
Texas universities indicating it was hitting them also. It may be that the
addresses to which it has been sent have been 'harvested' from a number of
sources, including this forum...

:-(

Chuck

[Barbara Brundage]

Well, FWIW, Chuck, I haven't gotten any, so I don't think this forum is a likely source.

[Chuck Snyder]

Barbara, thanks. I certainly didn't mean to cast any aspersions on our
forum....heaven knows where the virus spreaders get their lists.... Glad
you've been spared the annoyance!

[Barbara Brundage]

So am I, although I'm not sure why--my mail server has no filter on it at all and I'm certainly in lots and lots of PC addressbooks.

[Byron Gale]

Chuck,

....finding half of a worm?

My Grandfather only knew about a half-dozen jokes (at least, he seemed to
repeat the same handful over and over and over...), and one of them was
almost identical... "what's worse than finding a worm in an apple".

Byron

[Chuck Snyder]

Byron, I just knew you'd have the answer!

Yep - that was one of my late father's favorites...repeated ad nauseum.

:-)

Chuck

[Beth Haney]

I think they taught it in "Father School" during that generation! It was a favorite of both my dad and father in law, and, of course, my husband just couldn't resist passing it along. Did you guys spare your kids, or will they be talking like this about you guys, too?! :)

[Cousin Brucie]

I have received countless numbers of these worm e-mails purporting to be
from Microsoft.........they were so persistent that I relented and took a
*looksee*.and Bam!!!! I was infected and it crashed my whole
computer..............I could not launch any prorgams at all, so I had to
reinstall Windows XP and I just spent about 15 hours rebuilding my whole
software array.............had to re-install a ton of programs and tweak
them all back to my preferences.............NOT a fun day, but it's a good
thing that I, at least, know enough to get my system back up.......

Everyone, PLEASE watch yourself and heed your virus protection...........if
you are not up to date in your virus definitions.GET UPDATED!!!

Just trying to help..........

Brucie (just got 2 more while I've been wroting this)delete-delete
************************************************
"Beth Haney" <member@adobeforums.com> wrote in message
news:2ccd79df.25@webx.la2eafNXanI...

> I think they taught it in "Father School" during that generation! It was a

favorite of both my dad and father in law, and, of course, my husband just
couldn't resist passing it along. Did you guys spare your kids, or will they
be talking like this about you guys, too?! :)

[Schraven Robert]

Thanks Chuck,

I guess I just have to byte my time.

Robert

[Lorace Graham]

I'm so glad I read this. Thank you.

I, also, got that letter but put it on the back burner because I had just done the latest security update.

I really appreciate knowing that it was a fake. I wondered.

Lorace

[JodiFrye]

Well, it's getting tiresome. Just deleted 15 viruses that Norton quaranteed. When will it end ?

[Ray]

I had 12 more this morning... grrr! :(

[Nancy S]

I haven't received any. My IP, sbcglobal, seems to have gotten their mail filter right.

[JodiFrye]

OK I have absolutely freekin' had it with this worm!!!!!. It is almost the only mail i get EVERY time I check my mail ! I want to kick the bastards in a way that they'll never be able to 'sit' behing their freekin computers again...< steaming.......> Seems like a coincidence that this is happening shortly after the new school year ? Is some freekin proffessor teaching on the 'art of creating viruses ???? I've had it ! ....< venting....>

[Beth Haney]

Mine quit about as quickly as they started. I got five or six in a row and then nothing more. The virus filter from the ISP wasn't picking them up, although they do snag two or three a day from some other jerk who keeps trying to send messages infected with a virus. Maybe the ISP filters don't do as well filtering worms as viri?

[Joe Henry1000]

Alright I've had enough! I own a Mac so I don't have to worry about viruses right? Wrong, because the rest of the world uses Window's I now get to suffer through downloading and deleting 10 or 20 of these "security patches". Arrgh! Good thing I've got broadband or I'd really be mad. :-(

You know, if you all would just make the switch I wouldn't have to deal with this. ;-)

Joe

[Ray]

LOL !!!!!! I believe (I may be wrong) that Mac don't face viruses that much because of their
expensive price (less teenagers can afford them, and less PWTMST).

Someone posted a question asking if viruses were thought at school (I can't find that post again).
I know I did. I'm a graduated computer analyst. And at time (1987, DOS era), we learned to make
TSR (Terminated Stay Resident) programs. They were dormant modules, meant to be called upon a
certain key combination or computer event (think of SideKick). Now, there was only one step to take
to make this a virus (and of course, we all did it!)

Nowadays, viruses are totally different, because Windows doesn't not accept TSR modules anymore.
But still, some of their basic principles are thought at school, part of the process of learning how
to "deal" with Windows.

Ray
PWTMST = People With Too Much Spare Time

[Barbara Brundage]

Mac don't face viruses that much because of their expensive price





Hi, Ray. It's more than that. It has to do with the problems inherent in hacking Unix. See:

<http://www.sunspot.net/technology/custom/pluggedin/bal-mac082803,0,1353478.column>

and:

<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/18/technology/circuits/18POGUE-EMAIL.html>
(this one is NY Times, so you might have to register to read it)

EDIT BTW, the David Pogue article has links to some interesting windows antivirus freeware

[Joe Henry1000]

LOL !!!!!! I believe (I may be wrong) that Mac don't face viruses that
much because of their expensive price (less teenagers can afford them,
and less PWTMST).




Sorry Ray but you are indeed wrong. :-) With this recent spate of viruses (sobig, blaster, etc), there was a pretty big debate on exactly why Mac's are much less prone to infection. The mainstream press pretty much jumped on the Security through Obscurity myth: virus creator's don't write for the Mac because they want to wreak havoc on the 95% of the world that uses Windows not the 5% that uses other platforms. In the subsequent days and weeks, many of these writers as well as at least one fairly well known computer security firm had to admit that the STO myth is just that, a myth, and that the Mac OS is inherently more secure and resistant to viruses (FYI there are no known viruses at all for OS X and only about 50-75 for the classic Mac OS, none of which have been active for many years).

Anyway, aren't you switching to the Mac soon?

Joe