Computer virus alert

Subject: Computer virus alert - Hoax
From: Auxiris
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 11:25 AM

Hello, everyone. Just heard about a new computer virus yesterday. . . the information comes from France Telecom, so I'd say it's pretty serious. The virus is said to arrive by an e-mail entitled "CALIFORNIA IBM" and Microsoft has announced that it is still more powerful than Love Letter. There is apparently no remedy; it destroys hard disks, Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Anyway, a word to the wise: don't open anything entitled California IBM and pass this information on to as many people as possibl

---

Please note that this is a hoax

Auxiris probably did not realize it was a hoax. It does serve as a good lesson for all of us to search for official information about a virus before we post a warning.
Click Here for official information about this hoax from Symantec/Norton.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Ebbie
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 11:30 AM

When you pass on an alert of that sort, please paste the company warning and all the documentation into your message. Otherwise, I will never take it seriously and I'm sure there are others like me.

Ebbie

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Tony Burns
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 11:32 AM

It's a hoax. See here

Is you visit a site like Symantec Antivirus Research Center you can easily do a search before posting.

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Jeri
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 11:34 AM

...or here.

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 11:49 AM

I received this one yesterday. (With apologies to friends from Newfoundland)

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have just received the "NEWFOUNDLAND VIRUS". Since we don't have any programming experience and just a few computers in Newfoundland, this virus works on the honour system. Please delete all the files from your hard drive and manually forward this virus to everyone on your mailing list.

Some, may find it more effective to rearrange the sequence of events, due too both, time constraints and hardware considerations. In any case, your assistance in keeping this a timely affair, will be appreciated.

Thanks for you cooperation,

Newfoundland University Computer Engineering Department}

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: GUEST,Fibula Mattock
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 12:03 PM

A quick word of warning: when you ask people to pass virus information onto as many people as possible, the resulting e-mail traffic can be as much of a problem as the alleged virus. If people are simply careful about opening e-mail attachments the problem is greatly reduced. One of the best sources for virus information (especially hoaxes) is http://www.vmyths.com

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Auxiris
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 12:06 PM

Ebbie, here is a copy of the warning that came through with the France Telecom contact's name:

Mourad SAHRAOUI / Responsable Bureautique France Télécom MultiMédia Services 103 rue de Grenelle - 75007 Paris TEL: [phone] FAX: [phone] GSM: 06 89 10 05 00

And here's the message in the original language:

Un Nouveau Virus a été découvert. Il arrivera par un e-mail intitulé: CALIFORNIA IBM. Microsoft a annoncé qu'il est très puissant, plus encore que Love Letter.

Il n'existe aucun remède, il avale toute l'information du disque dur, détruit Netscape Navigator et Microsoft Internet Explorer. N'ouvrez rien s'intitulant ainsi, et passez ce message à tous vos contact e-mail.

Peu de gens sont au courant, passez le message le plus rapidement possible.

So, to conclude, if it is indeed a hoax, I sincerely apologise to anyone who is upset. Was only trying to help by translating. I'm sure that if you want to know more and are capable of speaking French computerese, you could contact the person at France Telecom.

Aux

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Auxiris
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 12:09 PM

Okay, fine, next time I won't bother.

Aux

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: GUEST,Fibula Mattock
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 12:13 PM

This comes from the virus myths website, and I hope they don't mind me "borrowing" from it...

"Did a genuine computer security expert send you the alert?
If your mother-in-law forwarded a computer security alert, and she got it from her dentist, who got it from a podiatrist, who got it from his secretary's daughter, who supposedly received it at college directly from IBM's virus experts...
Does it urge you to forward the chain letter to everyone you know?
Genuine virus alerts don't ask you to participate in a chaotic email distribution scheme.
Does the email offer a link to an authoritative details page?
Chain letters shouldn't go into detail about a computer virus. It should summarize the threat and provide a link to a "for more info" page stored on a well-known computer security website.
Beware: some hoax alerts include generic links to respected websites. The hoaxster wants you to assume the website has important information about the virus. A rule of thumb: the link should take you directly to information about the threat. If it doesn't, then you should chide the sender for failing to give you accurate information."

Click here for this info and more from its source

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: GUEST,Fibula Mattock
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 12:14 PM

Sorry, I wasn't criticising, I was just trying to be helpful too.

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Little Hawk
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 12:21 PM

My suggestion to anyone out there is: if you have a good antivirus program (such as Norton) on your computer, update it at very frequent intervals...like twice a week for instance. How about today? It doesn't take long if you do it frequently (because not too much new info to download), and it's the smart way to go.

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: catspaw49
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 12:36 PM

Aurixis......Please don't take this in an offesive manner. Tony, Jeri, and others who have posted here including myself have seen a lot of these and that's why we have bookmarked sites where we check on them first before passing them on. This stuff reall clogs the net and makes it difficult to tell fact from fiction. Do yourself and your friends a real favor and bookmark the sites such as Symantec above and you can help stop some of this in its tracks too.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Jeri
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 01:12 PM

The problem with virus alerts, as with any chain letter, is they look authentic. The one I linked to said the virus was announced by the very website that confirmed it was a hoax. You've been taken in by one, Aux - so have I and most of the folks here, I think, at one time or another. I'm not angry - I just hope I've passed on some helpful information that someone once gave me.

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Escamillo
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 02:34 PM

I don't bother to check it at any website either. I take for granted that it is a hoax, when it requests you to "pass it on to all people in your mailing list".

The purpose of the hoaxer is not to clog the net, but to carry huge lists of authentic e-mail addresses to feed the mailing lists of the SPAMMERS and TELEMARKETERS. They have planted trojans (programs!) in thousands of PCs in the net, which will transmit those lists to their headquarters when the mails are received.

By posting a message in a forum like this, no list is transmitted. But, if you reproduce the message to your mailing list, especially if you don't delete the previous list of addresses which is included in the headers, then the spammers will be happy.

Un abrazo - Andrés

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 03:15 PM

Escamillo: Can you cite an authoritative source for YOUR information? I.e. the assertion that "spammers and telemarketers" have "have planted trojans (programs!) in thousands of PCs"? Frankly, this info smells like a hoax to me, too.

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Quincy
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 04:59 PM

Thanks Auxiris.....your intensions were good.

The best anti-virus programme I use is the AVG. It's a free downloadable programme and has blocked loads of e-mails with Melissa or Kakworm in them on Outlook Express.
It also updates on a daily basis. I have recommended it to several people with a lot of success.

www.grisoft.com

On a lighter note about viruses.....

Famous Viruses
Ellen Degeneres virus -- Your IBM suddenly claims it's a MAC
. Titanic virus -- Makes your whole computer go down
Disney virus -- Everything in the computer goes Goofy
Mike Tyson virus -- Quits after one byte
Prozac virus -- Screws up your RAM but your processor doesn't care
Tim Allen virus -- Appears helpful, only to destroy your hard drive upon contact
Saddam Hussein virus -- Won't let you into any of your programs
X-files virus -- All your Icons start shape shifting
Spice Girl virus -- Has no real function, but makes a pretty desktop
Ronald Reagan virus -- Saves your data, but forgets where it is stored
Oprah Winfrey virus -- Your 200MB hard drive suddenly shrinks to 80MB, and then slowly expands to 300MB
Arnold Schwarzenegger virus -- Terminates and stays resident. It'll be back

best wishes, Yvonne

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Sean Belt
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 05:05 PM

And the folk process rolls on!
Yesterday morning I received two notices with the same wording as 'You have just received the "NEWFOUNDLAND VIRUS".' mentioned in Steve's post above. EXCEPT they were for the Arkansas and Alabama. Apparently these are regional jokes. I expect one to arrive anytime now warning me of the Cajun virus.
Fascinating in a bizarre kind of way.

- Sean

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Jeri
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 06:00 PM

Quincy, thanks for mentioning the Kak virus. I kept getting an error message saying "can't find kak.something." Sure enough, someone using Outlook Express sent me the bugger. Since I don't use it, I haven't had a problem nor sent it on, but I hate having viruses on my computer.

If you have a file on your computer called "kak.htm," go here.

The virus is written in java script. I use a text-only e-mail program, but copied and pasted one message into an HTML document to view it. Duh. I know where I got this one, and will be sending a personal message. I knew there was some reason I hated HTML e-mail programs.

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Rollo
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 06:36 PM

Cajun Virus?

How about this one?

---

Mon ami, you just recieved CAJUN VIRUS 1.0!

This means all your data will be translated into french, you will never again be able to tune a fiddle and all the stuff in your fridge will mysteriously be transformed into something with cayenne pepper and crawfish.

but never mind, just let the bon temps rouler!

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 06:53 PM

One thing with Outlook Express is that you do have the choice of whether to send messages as plain text or as HTML. I have mine set to default to plain text for sending new messages. Perhaps others should consider doing the same.

Jon

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Quincy
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 06:59 PM

Yes Jeri, I had the "Kakworm" virus earlier this year.....didn't have a clue that it was in my pc but it had set itself as a signature on Outlook Express.
As I said the AVG is very good and once someone who saw that I had the problem told me, I installed AVG and it removed it immediately.
I've been buying stuff from on-line auctions recently and it is surprising how many e-mails I've received that are infected with the 'Kakworm'.
I bought an expensive well-known virus scanner to try out and it didn't even detect its own "test virus" that was in its programme!!!
Gives a lot of hope doesn't it?!!
I really don't understand why people are so cruel to create the viruses in the first place......

best wishes, Yvonne

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: jayohjo
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 07:09 PM

That Newfoundland virus....there's one going round run by smug AppleMac owners, who aren't subject to the Bill-Gates-based viruses like everybody else - ie welcome to the Apple virus etc

Heehee! jayohjo XX

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Bill D
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 07:32 PM

IF there is a serious virus, you can bet the news media will hear of it before you do!...Just turn on CNN for awhile if you have any doubts!..

(these hoaxes are simply the latest form of things that pranksters do..and now they MAY be used to collect email addresses...but I still remember the chain letters asking us to collect box tops or pop-tops for kids in iron lungs...or the rumors that the person who could make the most words out of "Planter's Peanuts" would win a lot of money)

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Escamillo
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 01:20 AM

Jim, this site : Click here was referred to me by some Mudcatters (I don't remember the thread). It is Gibson Research Corp, people specialized in hunting spy software. At first I had some doubts, but after reading the story and the tech details, I'm pretty convinced they are right. I downloaded their OPTOUT program, and it found a trojan in my PC, from the firm Aureate, known spammers who are making fortunes selling the lists (and the programs for mass-mail production) to all buggers in the universe.

The trojan had been introduced along with a freeware utility that I downloaded from ZDNet, the respectable editors of PC Magazine.

Being a programmer myself (though not specialized in networks) I understood the trick. Once you get your spy program activated by the innocent host program, you can act as a stupid virus and destroy the hard disk, or you may choose a more productive activity: monitor all passing mail, extract the long lists of addresses that are included in the headers of the "chain" mails, gather this info into a file, and when the innocent host gets connected to the net, steal some seconds and transmit it to your headquarters. The user will only notice some strange delay, but what a heck, it is normal in the WWW.

Since there is NO directory in the Internet, the suppliers of spammers have to sweat their shirts out to obtain those huge lists that they are selling.

The same mechanism is used to extract personal info from the victim, and statistics on his/her activities, sites visited, banners clicked, personal tastes, hours navigating, hours using certain programs, etc. And there are many other tricks that people told me about, but I still don't have an evidence,though all are theoretically feasible.

Regarding telemarketers, I really don't have the evidence, but, considering that a lot of mailing and telephone lists are being illegally marketed (I receive 2 or 3 offers per week), elegantly sorted by occupation, personal interests and education, I suspect that the source is the net, and not only the Telephone Directory, where they would only found name and address.

Sorry for the extension.

Un abrazo - Andrés (mature male, pretending singer, only one car, no credit cards, university educated, nothing in the bank - *disregard* ) :)

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Auxiris
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 04:39 AM

Everyone, thanks for the Symantec address (it is now bookmarked and will be used first and foremost in such situations) and helpful suggestions. No offense taken and a cat fart to all those creeps on the Net who put about either real viruses, worms, etc. or hoaxes to scare people.

cheers,

Aux

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Escamillo
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 06:25 AM

Another curious thing and not funny at all: I've just received yet another spam carrying THE WHOLE LIST starting with the letter "E" of my Internet supplier, Ciudad Digital, the main supplier in Argentina. Since Ciudad is not supposed to sell or give away their list, it is obvious that it was stolen. Ha! The only trustable site seems to be Mother Therese of Calcutta's, but since she died, who knows who is managing the site !

Un abrazo - Andrés

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Gervase
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 09:20 AM

I too suffered from a nasty dose of kak earlier this year on my office ThinkPad.
Every cloud has a silver lining though; after seeing kak munch through my system files, I got the dreaded 'Blue Screen of Death' on the ThinkPad - and that evening some little toe-rag broke into my car and relieved himself of the contents.
He must have had a great larf trying to offload that machine to Dodgy Dave down the pub!
Still, as a confirmed Mac addict, I always thought all PCs were sold pre-buggered anyway :-)

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Jeri
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 09:50 AM

Well, one of the things with chain e-mails: even if you don't pass them on, your address is in the headers going to everyone else, who MAY pass them on, so it still gets collected.

Regarding what Escamillo said about trojans that send off your data: if it's possible, it's likely someone has done it. We discover the malicious viruses because they mess up our computers or do something else we notice. If they don't do anything noticeable, they remain. I may be a bit paranoid, but I'm open-minded when it comes to the possibilities on the internet.

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Burton
Date: 02 Sep 00 - 01:06 PM

I'm firmly with Gervase on this one, I spend most of my working week fixing all the bugs that the lovely people at Microsoft like to leave in just about all of your software. I have come to the conclusion that all Microsoft soft ware has the electronic equivalent of a three-year-old child that throws a temper tantrum if not given hours of attention and spoken sweetly too. Frankly all our IBM machines are inshored so I might ask dodgy Dave round to swipe the lot and with the pay out I'll get are far more reliable solution, ie a typewriter !!!

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Sep 00 - 01:22 PM

for a list of software programs known to have 'spyware' go to this site

to get a free program which can remove this spyware, go here and download "AdAware"

note..this might mean that you will lose a program you have liked. If you are simply willing to be part of their data collection routine, don't bother to do this. Most of these programs don't actually do anything to you, but some folks object on principle to being surveyed and followed without their permission. Your choice.

Subject: RE: Computer virus alert
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 02 Sep 00 - 03:23 PM

Thanks Bill. The second link should be http://www.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/win95/security/aaw_36.zip. I have just ran it on my computer and it picked up 3. I have already removed Comet Cursor which I had stopped using anyway. I need to find a replacement for CuteFTP at some point and I have a descision to make over HumanClick which I rarely use but it does provide me with a means of getting an IP address of anyone who should cause trouble in one of my Hearme rooms.

Jon