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Tech: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus
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Subject: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Justa Picker Date: 28 Jan 02 - 05:38 PM Just an alert to all of you to be aware of a new virus, which sends the virus as an attachment disguised as a web link. Naturally it's written for Outlook and sends itself out to every email in the persons address book, with a subject line "Pics from my Party" or something to this effect. If you receive an email from someone you recognize, with anything to do with Pictures or PARTY PICTURES in the subject line, DO NOT click on the link attachment embedded within the email. It is not a legitmate URL link but rather a virus disguised to appear as a URL link. I was lucky. I deleted the attachment before opening the email as I couldn't figure out why a regular URL or link, required any sort of an attachment. The link appears as: www.myparty.yahoo.com There's more info on this virus here. |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Stewart Date: 28 Jan 02 - 06:27 PM Just received it about an hour ago - fortunately my virus program tagged it immediately. In any case, I wouldn't open anything with such an artificial-sounding message and a URL link as an attachment. S. in Seattle |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Clinton Hammond Date: 28 Jan 02 - 06:35 PM Overall warning, Just keep yer virus shield updated folks.. then we don't need to have scare mongers leaping in every time some 2 bit hacker geek codes up another wanker virus... .-) |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Justa Picker Date: 28 Jan 02 - 06:38 PM Clinton, I posted this notice out of consideration to my fellow Catters, some of whom might not be as computer savvy as you and I. It was in no way, shape or form, an attempt to be a "scare monger". The nature of the way this virus creeps in, could fool seasoned computer people, if you're not paying full attention. It was posted as a public service. Nothing more. |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: wysiwyg Date: 28 Jan 02 - 06:42 PM This is one reason I no longer maintain an OE address book. Also see SYMANTEC irus encyclopedia. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Susanne (skw) Date: 28 Jan 02 - 07:10 PM Thanks, Picker! I usually pay attention, but I wouldn't like to entirely rely on my virus shield. It's good to be warned, and any warnings from Mudcatters are usually reliable so I can pass them on to newbies (and impress them no end :-)). |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Peg Date: 28 Jan 02 - 08:21 PM Glad I have an iMac! Picker, I do not think it is scare mongering to offer a lgitimate warning about a legitimate virus; these things are getting more and more sophisticated and insidious and unfortnately everyone is vulnerable (well except those of us who use Macs...) Peg |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: SINSULL Date: 28 Jan 02 - 08:35 PM Thanks Picker. I sent your warning on to friends with Outlook. I still have nightmares about three weeks of trying to remove the Love virus from our compouters at work. |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: RichM Date: 28 Jan 02 - 09:38 PM I put a false address at the beginning of Outlook's address book ( I used AAAAAA). I entered NO address or other information. Apparently this virus stops when it reads such an address...Can't recall where I read this advice, though.
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Bonnie Shaljean Date: 28 Jan 02 - 11:26 PM (1) The false address ploy was a very good idea when it originated (some time ago) but, alas, now the hackers have figured out how to circumvent it so it's no longer reliable protection. (2) Picker, you done good. MY up-to-the minute current version of Norton AV caught the first two emails with that Party Photo heading (which, please note, it could not repair so it quarantined them). But imagine my discomfort when another email with that same heading dropped into my Inbox unimpeded. I deleted it and chased it into the rubbish bin and deleted it again and then jumped up and down on the pieces, all the while feeling VERY insecure. However: This worm has also generated a lot of warnings, some of which include those same words in the subject box - people don't always have too much sense! So it may be that the email Norton let in was NOT infected but only a cautionary message ABOUT the infection - of which I've had several; and I may well be being unfair to them. But who's going to take the chance? I agree with Susanne about not wanting to rely on a sheild. Shouldn't we stay in the habit of relying on our own brains? And helping each other out? Thanks again, Picker - |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Stilly River Sage Date: 29 Jan 02 - 12:29 AM I find a warning posted to a list like this far superior to the silly stuff some of my friends send without checking it out. So often they send hoaxes in such a rush that they don't realize it. I usually respond gently with a link to the Urban Legends or Virus Hoax sites over at http://www.about.com. This warning today came in exactly the way it needed to, with a name, an example, and a link to a credible story. To which I'll add this link at Symantec. Good job! Maggie |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Mr Red Date: 29 Jan 02 - 01:10 PM rewind reminder I had some a attachments while back called pricelist.doc.lnk and a subject line like "what do you think of this". I reasoned that the last extension was the operative one and .lnk's of 80K just looked the part - of a virus. Never found out if they were genuine but would you buy from someone with such poor PR sense? |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: MMario Date: 29 Jan 02 - 01:16 PM Peg - the imacs can actually spread this - if you run MS outlook or outlook express; (which some mac users do) the number of "typhoid imacs" out there is increasing daily. |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: GUEST Date: 29 Jan 02 - 01:30 PM You're right MMario It's struck me for a while now that a really nasty Mac virus might appear soon, simply to wipe the smirk of Mac users faces "so you thought you were safe..." |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: MMario Date: 29 Jan 02 - 01:44 PM When the various MS-office macro-viruses and such started to appear is when the first crack in the "mac immune system" also occurred. So far no one seems to have bothered to write a macro-virus or visual basic or java worm that attacks macs - but as I said above, macs can function as "typhoid mary" type carriers - infecting others, and acting as a resevoir of the virus.
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: katlaughing Date: 29 Jan 02 - 01:45 PM Thanks, JP! So far my Eudora hasn't warned me of anything untoward, nor has Zone Alarm, but I appreciate the heads-up. luvyakat |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Cappuccino Date: 29 Jan 02 - 01:47 PM Thanks JP - I found it today and deleted simply because I didn't like the look of it. Appreciate the warning. - ian B |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Jon Freeman Date: 29 Jan 02 - 02:00 PM Interesting tactic.. Whether my (up to date) AV software would have caught it or not is another matter - I prefer not to put the software to the test... My own feeling on warnings here is that when verified that it is a virus being reported and the warning includes valid information from a reliable source (in other words exactly as JP has done), they serve a useful purpose. Jon |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: MMario Date: 29 Jan 02 - 02:03 PM y'know - this one would be completly harmless to my clients if they followed standard procedures (like NOT using outlook express or outlook - contra-indicated at ALL our installations) but they insist on using it. *sigh* what's the old adage? You can lead a horse to folk-music; but you can't make him sing it? |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Snuffy Date: 29 Jan 02 - 04:44 PM But if everybody switched to (say) Eudora, so would the virus writers. Other programs may or may not be intrinsically better, but they're just not a big enough target. |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Stilly River Sage Date: 29 Jan 02 - 06:08 PM Just about anything is "intrinsically better" than Outlook for the very reason that they're not Microsoft! One of these days I'm going to find a bumper sticker that says "I don't wanna do Windows." They switched to Outlook from Pegasus at work, because the library merged email systems with the entire university and that's what the university uses. Outlook is a pain in the backside compared to the streamlined operation of Pegasus. At home I use P-Mail and Netscape (for two different identities, though P-Mail has a "multi-pop" feature that I've set up. I just haven't taken the time to filter it out to different folders). SRS |
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Subject: Slimy Virus...Folkie Version From: GUEST,Guest (slyly disguised "clique" member) Date: 29 Jan 02 - 06:18 PM Actually, there is a "folkie" version. It is disguised as a fairly innocuous-sounding chorus, preceded by the words, "sing along with me, now..." It infects your very soul, nevermind your silly little 'puter! We must all be ever-vigilent. Remember, only ewe can prevent the spread of virii through the practice of safe folking! (I hope I haven't lost any friends with this post; I am down to only three already, and I'm not too sure about two of them.) |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: Midchuck Date: 29 Jan 02 - 06:42 PM But if everybody switched to (say) Eudora, so would the virus writers. Other programs may or may not be intrinsically better, but they're just not a big enough target. Perhaps not. I've been using the old freeware version of Eudora for email, because it can't read HTML or scripts. Everything just comes through as text. I don't see how you could possibly get a virus through it, as long as one didn't open attachments. Peter. |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: WyoWoman Date: 30 Jan 02 - 10:21 AM WE all got this virus in our inboxes (iMac) at work yesterday, but no one opened it. We have a firewall and Norton, so I don't know if it would have actually opened or not, but I'm glad we were paying attention. Thanks, ww |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: enkd Date: 30 Jan 02 - 12:54 PM Sadly, Midchuck is right... The problem developed when software developers (MS in particular) extended the capabilities of their email applications to include sending & displaying "rich content" such as HTML. HTML, in and of itself, would not be a problem either. The problem is that MS uses a version of the code behind Internet Explorer to display the email, which also interprets JavaScript (and automatically handles other sorts of active content.) I remember using simple text-based email on Unix years ago, and the entire concept of and "email virus" was a standing joke. Just couldn't happen. Amazingly, people still think I'm paranoid because I won't execute EXEs they send me as attachments, no matter how cute they are. I suspect, however, that if Eudora had the market share that MS does, in attempts to sell more copies, they would eventually add "features" that compromised security. But maybe I'm wrong. ihc |
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Subject: RE: Heads Up - New (Slimy) Virus From: GUEST Date: 30 Jan 02 - 01:01 PM Thanks JP, considerate to warn all of us greenhorns, I only see the one ignorant raver in disagreement. Paddy Joe. |
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