Help: Virus from HearMe?

Subject: Virus from HearMe?
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 11:48 PM

This morning after yesterday's thoroughly enjoyable HearMe song circle, my printer froze up. A look at the printers-properties box showed the printer driver had been changed to something called "Absolutely Bogus Printer Driver." I wonder if this was a little virus or Trojan or whatever that came in with the HearMe download. Fortunately I was able to get rid of it and my printer is working again (and my receptionist is talking to me again). Anybody have a similar experience?

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Help: Virus from HearMe?
From: Bugsy
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 11:59 PM

Just checked my Printer and all's OK. You must have picked it up somewhere else.

Cheers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Help: Virus from HearMe?
From: GutBucketeer
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 12:17 AM

very interesting. I've never had any problem with Hearme, and I probably have the most experience using it of all Mudcatters with the exception of Doester. We use a closed room that goes through Jon Freeman's site. It connects with some of the utilities at Hearme.com but as far as I know it is pretty secure.

Was this a new printer driver, or did it just change the name of the old one? Was there a date and time stamp on the new printer driver?

Hope everything is fine now.

JAB

Subject: RE: Help: Virus from HearMe?
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 04:43 AM

It was a new driver that didn't work. I didn't check for a date and time stamp or any other identifying info. It was pretty unsettling to see it; kind of like a roach in your food. It's gone now. The only reason I suspected HearMe is that I thought it was the only thing I downloaded between the time the printer worked and it didn't. But I could have been mistaken. Maybe somebody's playing tricks on me. Wouldn't be the first time...

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Help: Virus from HearMe?
From: Jeri
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 07:40 AM

Lookie here.

Subject: RE: Help: Virus from HearMe?
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 08:22 AM

I've been using mine without any trouble.. Yours,Aye.Dave

Subject: RE: Help: Virus from HearMe?
From: GUEST,Jim Dixon
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 11:39 AM

There is info on the internet about this. See

http://www.magma.ca/~russrite/Canon_Drivers/KB/1998/kb98005.htm

I found this by using "Absolutely Bogus Printer Driver" as the search argument in http://www.google.com/

Subject: RE: Help: Virus from HearMe?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 05:41 PM

I'm pleased to hear that this has been resolved. Basically all my site does is provides some very simple Java script to connect to Hearme's own servers and there is nothing there that could do any damage. Everything else including the origianl download comes from Hearme.Com and I have no reason to believe that their site is an unsafe.

Having said that, as far as I unuderstand it opening up any communication channel does increase risks of malicous damage simply as it provides others with a route to your computer. I run Windows Personal Server, and an ICQ server from my home PC so am probably at more risk than many PC users but the html document used to acess hearme is located at tripod.co.uk and is not effeceted by any problems I may encounter at home. The only thing to reach me so far is the well known Happy99.exe as an email attachment.

Jon

Subject: RE: Help: Virus from HearMe?
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 11:51 PM

Jim, thanks much. What I wound up doing was deleting my printer driver, then leaving the printer disconnected when restarting Windows (that's the part I didn't do the first 3 times I tried it), then reinstalling the driver. When I tried it with the printer still connected it kept reverting to the bogus driver.
Jon, I'm sorry if this got people uneasy about HearMe. It's a wonderful program and I appreciate your making it available here on the 'Cat - works great for the song circle. I must have picked up the bug elsewhere. Fortunately it was easy to fix. Interestingly, my Norton anti-virus program didn't notice it.
Oh, and Jeri, I lookied but got a blank screen.

Aloha,
Mark