Virus Alerts

[blinc]

I just received this from a relative in an email. Usually I check them out before passing them on. In this case I haven't, so I really don't know if these are hoaxes or not. Was just thinking though, if others had information on real virus's out there... what about posting them here, to help us all protect ourselves?

Well, here's what I received, but like I said... I don't know if these are real, the person said they got the notice off the CNN Website. I'll check them out a little later, to verify.. but thought this would be a good way to start off the topic. :)

THE TITLES ARE:
1) buddylst.exe
2) calcu18r.exe
3) deathpr.exe
4) einstein.exe
5) happ.exe
6) girls.exe
7) happy99.exe
8) japanese.exe
9) keypress.exe
10) kitty.exe
11) monday.exe
12) teletubb.exe
13) The Phantom Menace
14) prettypark.exe
15) UP-GRADE INTERNET2
16) perrin.exe
17) I love You
18) CELCOM Screen Saver or CELSAVER.EXE
19) Win a Holiday (e-mail)
20) JOIN THE CREW O PENPALS

[blinc]

I figured the people who sent this to me would have checked it out. Like I said before, I didn't check this, but have checked one of the titles.

I checked the UP-GRADE INTERNET2 and it's a hoax, so I imagine the others are too. It would be nice to hear of REAL virus's in this thread. Also, about the one's that are hoax's. The best thing to do, is when you receive an email like I did, check it out before forwarding it. Thank goodness I didn't forward that info. or a bunch of more people would have gotten that WRONG info.

It's easy to find out about these. Just go to your search engine, type in the name of the "virus" and it'll usually turn up about 100 or so pages of info. I found the "hoax" info. on this website:

http://antivirus.about.com/compute/antivirus/library/blen0098.htm

Do you know of any other good websites to search for virus info?

[blinc]

I thought the "I love you" thing sounded familiar. There really IS a virus/worm with that name. So guess the best advice is to not open anything from people you don't know... beginning maybe to think I shouldn't open stuff from people I DO know! *roll eyes*

[kezzer]

I alway get sent the warnings that if you go to any site that has email scams and stuff it's blatantly posted they are a hoax. It's so funny cuz when I first got my computer I believed everything! Now to maybe help some of these people figure out not to believe everything including the chainmails that if you send it to so many people you'll get paid and stuff I send them the link to one of the sites that I've gone to and made sure if it was real or not.

[blinc]

Kezzer, boy do I know what you mean. We were sent a REAL email virus the FIRST day we had our computer. We didn't even know what the ActiveX control was that kept popping up - thank goodness we called HP to find out and they told us exactly what to do with it. DELETE IT! Call the person who sent it to you, so they know they have a virus. Since then, I'm VERY leary about opening up anything with an attachment, etc.

The problem with the same people sending warnings without checking them out, is that I now tend to ignore those people who send the warnings. If they ever sent a real one... I'd probably miss it. Guess I have to contact this other family member and them know that what they sent me is a mixed bag.

The chain mails - like you, they usually hit my deleted folder within a few seconds after receiving them. *roll eyes* Those things are irritating!

[jamesglewisf]

I hate being on people's email lists. You know: the joke, political, religious, and so forth emails. I always tell people to take me off their list of people to forward things to. Use email to communicate with me, but not to send me something somebody else sent you that somebody else sent them.

[Anat]

I also discourage people from sending me this kind of mail. The internet is so full of junk mail it's incredible.
Once I received a chain letter telling this moving story about a little girl who's got cancer. It had in it a poem that she supposedly wrote. the poem was about how you should appreciate life or something. It asked you to just send the message over to everyone you know, as this was her dying wish or something.

The original email was supposedly from her doctor and it stated his full details including his name and the name of the hospital where he worked.

I suspected a hoax and wanted to delete, but as the subject was moving and I couldn't see the point of such a hoax I decided to check. I looked up the hospital's website, to see if there really was such a doctor. Of course on the very first page it said - "if you received the sick child's email - click here". When you clicked it went on to explain that this was a hoax. There really was such a doctor in the hospital but he had nothing to do with the email. IT was all the invention of a very strange mind.

Why would anyone do this?

[theyeti]

On the hospital subject, i heard about a hospital empolyee (not a doctor, receptionist or something) sent a bunch of people emails saying a relative had been in a serious accident, then sent one back a few minutes later saying they had died. How stupid! First of all, why the heck would people be sending these things via email, and what a bad thing to joke about. Obviously, they were caught and prosecuted.
Every once in a while i get an email, usually with FWD: in the subject (meaning forwarded), from someone i don't even know.... usually it turns out i do know them, but just don't recognize their email address because i've never talked to them with email before. I probably shouldn't be opening them anyway i guess....

[blinc]

TheYeti... that was just really cruel of someone to even THINK that was something to joke about. Of course, most of us know that it would be a hoax, but for the one or two who wouldn't, what an awful thing to experience.

Yeah, I think you might be wise to be leary of opening things from people you don't know. It seems like that's how most virus's are sent, aren't they?

[Anat]

I think most viruses come in the form of an exe file. Some can be sent via a MS Word file. These are the common ones because they are relatively easy to make.

I never ever open an exe file that I received by email, unless the person who sends it calls me by phone and tells me exactly what it is and that it's been checked for viruses. If people that I don't know well send me exe files, I send a reply explaining why I can't open their file and ask them to describe the content instead.

There are viruses that come in other forms but they are far less common. Anyway, you're always better off with a good anti-virus program running in the background.

[Karenluvs6]

I am fortunate enough, never to have had this happen to me, but I do know a guy who makes these things.
I am not proud of this, he was a friend of my hubby...he made them because he was basically a moron..but he did it for fun.
He made one called 'Aids' once...it wiped out so many ppls computers that he knows...because he just didn't care!!
Ppl do this, I believe, to show off their abilities to those of us not smart enough....I would rather be stupid!
I can't think of any logical explanation!!


I got this email from CNET NEWS:

CNET NEWS

~Love virus variant plagues email systems~
Five months after its first disastrous outbreak, the "I Love You"
virus is still churning out destructive mutants.
Click here for full story:
http://tm0.com/xdrive/sbct.cgi?s=78967393&i=268078&d=516579


stupidity has no end!!

[blinc]

Got this Alert from Mcafee, so know this is a real virus threat. Here's the info:

Dear McAfee.com Dispatch Subscriber:

W32/Navidad@M is an Internet worm that spreads using the
Windows email program Outlook. McAfee AVERT has given it a
risk assessment of MEDIUM-ON WATCH, due to a significant
increase in infection levels worldwide.

The email can come from addresses that you will recognize.
Attached is a file named NAVIDAD.EXE and when it is run, it
displays a dialog box entitled, "Error" which reads "UI". A
blue eye icon then appears in the system tray next to the
clock in the lower right corner of the screen, and a copy of
the worm is saved to the file "winsvrc.vxd" in the WINDOWS
SYSTEM directory.

If your PC becomes infected with the W32/Navidad@M worm, all
subsequent emails addressed to you will be responded to
automatically with an email from your address with the
W32/Navidad@M worm as an attachment.

Click here for detection and removal instructions:
-> http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=1956

[Anat]

Thanks for the warning blinc!

[blinc]

Ok, another REAL virus alert. Once again, this is from McAfee... the place we use for our Virus program. Here's the info:

******* VIRUS ALERT - W32/ProLin@MM ********


Dear McAfee.com Dispatch Subscriber:

W32/ProLin@MM is an Internet worm that spreads via email.
McAfee AVERT has given it a risk assessment of MEDIUM TO
HIGH-RISK. The email comes with an attachment named
CREATIVE.EXE, which carries the icon of a Shockwave Media Player application.
You may receive the email in this format:

Subject = A great Shockwave flash movie
Body = Check out this new flash movie that I downloaded just
now ... It's Great
Bye
Attachment = creative.exe

If you run CREATIVE.EXE, it finds and alters all .JPG and
.ZIP files on your system and forwards a copy of itself to
everyone in your email address book. Please do not run the
attachment.

Click here for detection and removal instructions:
-> http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=2000

MCAFEE.COM CLINIC SUBSCRIBERS:
If you don't have ActiveShield installed and/or updated, you are not protected from this worm. Click here to download ActiveShield:
-> http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/virusscan/activeshield/default.asp?area=activeshield

If you are not a subscriber to the McAfee.com Clinic please
click here to get anti-virus protection:
-> http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=2005

[Anat]

Thanks!

I know many flash designers - I might have opened that one... I don't want to think about the possibility of losing all the jpg files on my computer (hundreds of original cat photos, among other things)! ):

[blinc]

Yeah this one spooked me too, because my in-laws send these "slide shows" of family pictures. It uses a media player... I'm very careful of what I open, so probably wouldn't have opened it unless it was from someone I know. However, with this virus, it automatically forwards itself to everyone in your address book. If they had gotten the virus and it forwarded itself to me (from their address) I probably would have opened it! Yikes!

Wish these virus creators would develop some sense of decency and just knock it the heck off. It impresses no one... so what? They can damage people's computers, pictures, etc... oooh, I'm SOOO impressed! {rolleyes}

[blinc]

****** VIRUS ALERT - VBS/SST@MM (AnnaKournikova Virus) *****


Dear McAfee.com Dispatch Subscriber:

VBS/SST@MM or the AnnaKournikova Virus is spread via email in
Windows Outlook. McAfee AVERT has given it a risk assessment
of HIGH-RISK. The email comes with an attachment named
AnnaKournikova.jpg.vbs. You may receive the infected email
from addresses that you recognize in this format:

Subject: Here you have, ; o )
Body:
Hi: Check This!

Attachment: AnnaKournikova.jpg.vbs

If you run AnnaKournikova.jpg.vbs, the script copies itself
to the WINDOWS directory as "AnnaKournikova.jpg.vbs" and
creates a registry key and key values. Subsequently, it
forwards a copy of itself to everyone in your Outlook email
address book.

Please do not run the attachment.

Find out more about this virus. Click here to go to the
VBS/SST@MM Help Center.
-> http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=2142

[blinc]

***************** VIRUS ALERT - W32/Naked@MM ****************


Dear McAfee.com Dispatch Subscriber:

Since its discovery early on March 6, 2001, McAfee.com has
seen a large and growing number of computers infected with
W32/Naked@MM. This is a HIGH RISK virus that is spreading
rapidly via the Windows email program Outlook. The infected
email can come from addresses that you recognize. Attached
is a file named NakedWife.exe, which poses as a Flash movie.
The email message can appear as follows:

Subject: Fw: Naked Wife
Body:
My wife never look like that! ;-)

Best regards,
(sender's name)

Attachment: NakedWife.exe

When run, it copies itself to a TEMP directory and displays
a window entitled "Flash" which reads "JibJab loading". It
then attempts to delete all .BMP, .COM, .DLL, .EXE, .INI,
and .LOG files in the WINDOWS and WINDOWS\SYSTEM directories
and emails itself to all recipients in the Windows Address
Book using Microsoft Outlook.


Find out more about this virus. Click here to go to the
W32/Naked@MM Help Center.
-> http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=2163

[keithster]

The safest ways to do photos I've found is to post them to a website. That way, people aren't downloading huge files in their email and it doesn't add those suspicious attachments.

This nakedwife one is pretty nasty.

[blinc]

From what I've been reading on different websites, this IS a really bad virus. Supposedly it can wipe your computer files out so badly, that you aren't even able to get your computer booted up.

Keithster, I'm working on getting photo's set up on Yahoo Photo Album, just for that reason. I can send people a link - so they won't have to worry about opening anything from me. We've got a really good anti-virus program through McAvee and a firewall, etc. so that helps - but still, the thought that if you opened that up, because it looks like it came from someone you know... well you could really be in a bind. It's got to the point where I won't even open attachments to anything unexpected, even if it's from someone I know. Unless I check with them and ask, did you just send me "so and so"?

[TTP]

I recieved this notice too, sounds like it is for real.
By deleting all those files it would sure make things difficult on a person. You could still save your files, but it would make it fun for sure. ;)

[blinc]

Oh yeah... "fun" for people who have a clue on how to fix things! {toothy}

If it's a McAfee/McAvee virus alert - it's the real thing. The only one's I doubt are the one's that come from email friends and family. I tell you what - they (McAfee) are really on the ball with upgrades. Every day for the last few days, they've had an upgrade to download... which tells me they're constantly working and finding new ways to avoid getting the viruses. I'm happy with them, they've prevented us from downloading a virus several times now.