Viruses again

[Guest lightnix]

I read the other day that according to Symantec, a major virus attack is expected soon. The precise form that the attack will take is unclear, but thousands, possibly millions of home PCs may already have been compromised by Trojan Horse programs, which will enable this attack to be launched on an unprecedented scale.

 

I now check for Norton updates every time I log on to the Internet (before collecting my e-mail) and they have been coming thick and fast for the last couple of weeks now, sometimes on a daily basis.

 

Please keep your AV software regularly and frequently updated. Help to protect others by protecting yourselves.

[Ellis]

I'll second that - Trend have done more than 20 updates in the last 2 weeks.

 

Also, if at all possible, run a personal firewall such as Zone Alarm and think carefully before allowing suspect programs access to the internet.

 

Disable the preview pane in outlook/Outlook Express and don't open emails with attachments that you are not expecting (to this point, send a separate email ahead of any attachment to warn the recipient to expect one).

 

The eariest way to avoid many worms is to set Windows to show the file extensions then files like ILoveYou.txt.vbs, Review.doc.exe or message.doc.pif (These are not specific names to look for) will be easier to spot.

[Brian]

Disable the preview pane in outlook/Outlook Express and don't open emails with attachments that you are not expecting

For those of us running Outlook this presents a real problem, how do you know what the email contains? - the answer, a wonderful add-on to Outlook called 'PocketKnife Peek'

at XIntercept

[Tomo]

And if at all possible (I know that it isn't for some of you), don't use Outlook or Outlook Express. (The newer versions aren't that bad actually, but the 'security features' make it impossible to get things done IMHO)

 

Nearly all email viruses rely on security holes in Outlook and Outlook Express - either that or id10ts opening attachments at random.

 

Mozilla Mail is one of the nicer clients, but there are many others.

(Mozilla can be told not to run any plugins either, which helps security somewhat.

I don't WANT Flash emails! Go away!)

 

Security through diversity - it does work!

 

After all, if a virus depends on a particular bit of software being used, and you don't use it, you're safe.

 

Finally - NEVER OPEN AN UNEXPECTED ATTACHMENT

and NEVER, EVER, OPEN AN EXECUTABLE ATTACHMENT

 

(I know this has already been mentioned, but it bears repeating.)

[P. Funk]

to be perfectly honest, I use both IE and outlook and have never had any problems. Norton picks up on anything bad coming in, and I can't get much through my IP address directly because I'm on a LAN (and the router also has a built in firewall). Most of it is just stupidity.

 

and at the end of the day, shouldn't we all have backups of our documents? I do, so getting a virus isnt mnuch of a problem anyway, even in worst case scenario, if your whole PC is wiped.

[Pete McCrea]

Or by using a Mac bypass all the issues of PC viruses..... My PC hasn't been hit by a virus yet, but then I use the Mac for all my email.

 

A virus should be sent round the internet with the subject "Don't open this: it is a virus". If the user opens it, a self installing file will open, reformat their hard drive, and melt the mother board, after having sent an email to Toys 'R' Us ordering an etch-a-sketch and pack of crayons.

[P. Funk]

yeah... there are something like <40 viruses ever made for macs.

[gareth]

I read the other day that according to Symantec, a major virus attack is expected soon.  The precise form that the attack will take is unclear, but thousands, possibly millions of home PCs may already have been compromised by Trojan Horse programs, which will enable this attack to be launched on an unprecedented scale.

 

I now check for Norton updates every time I log on to the Internet (before collecting my e-mail) and they have been coming thick and fast for the last couple of weeks now, sometimes on a daily basis.

 

Please keep your AV software regularly and frequently updated. Help to protect others by protecting yourselves.

Sound advice, and by the looks of it quite timely.

 

I got back to my office PC this evening after a couple of days away, and among the e-mails waiting for me were two containing attachments - one a *.scr, one a *.pif - both classic 'carriers' of viruses. I'd only updated my virus definitions at the weekend and it didn't bat an eyelid, so whatever payload these files were carrying (and it's almost a dead cert that they had something nasty inside them) it's something that is very new. Just done another update, and there was a new virus definition file to download, so from the looks of all this it would seem that there's yet another tidal wave of infected e-mails on the way. Deep joy. :** laughs out loud **:

[Ellis]

Gareths post highlights one very important piece of advice.

 

DO NOT RELY SOLELY ON ANTIVIRUS!

 

AV Vendors are releasing patches regularly (Trend sometimes release more than one per day)

 

My workplace lost a whole afternoon on all sites (Bristol, Worcester, Huntingdon, Macclesfield, Northern Ireland...) because a new virus appeared inside the network and spread rapidly.

 

It turns out that it was half written and probably came from inside (culprit not found yet) but it was a combination of parts of other malware and they were not detected (Trend update 813 included the results of their examination of it).

 

The only safe computer is one not connected to a network of any kind, with no floppy disk drive.

[James]

The only safe computer is one not connected to a network of any kind, with no floppy disk drive.

 

I've seen viruses get onto systems through I-pods PDA's USB memory sticks - anything...

 

 

What I like is when a supplier sells you a system and tells you that you are not allowed to run any anti virus software on it as it will interfere with their software.

 

James

[SparkySteve]

As we speak about maltesers, smarties and haribo in the tea break thread my newly purchased Norton Antivirus is slowly (very very slowly) ripping the contents of my computer apart an putting it back even more slowly... I'm alarmed at the amount of viruses its picked up,.... nothing too major but alarming nevertheless

 

Thanks for the warning,

 

mental note : don't ever forget to buy an antivirus when old one runs out

[Guest lightnix]

...I'm alarmed at the amount of viruses its picked up...

If the infection is that bad, you may be better off reformatting your hard drive and re-installing everything from scratch. I'm glad to see this thread has had a positive effect, but I can't help but wonder how many other people your machine may have infected recently B-)

[SparkySteve]

False alarm, I didn't realise when it scanned it picked up on adware and added it to the the infected number.... in total 42 adware files, no viruses! B-) sorry if I alarmed anyone

[topjob]

We recently invested in a satalite downlink as broadband won't be in our area for years. With it came a free program called Ad-aware. It found 263 virises (not adware) they wernt' doin much but it was fookin scary

[Andy!]

Whilst We are on the topic. Incase nobody already has it there is a great program that you should run now and then called Ad-Aware 6.0 It removes all the bugs and spy ware that comes from pop ups.

Just something useful to have.

Andy!