source file: mills2.txt Date: Wed, 23 Apr 1997 09:27:28 -0700 Subject: NTR: Viruses Via E-mail From: mr88cet@texas.net (Gary Morrison) Forgive me for the Non-Tuning-Related ("NTR") message here, but I thought it worth setting the record straight about one detail. A while back somebody on the list intercepted a hoax message about a new E-mail-conducted virus. At least two of us responded saying that it was nothing to worry about, since a computer can't contract a virus (or do anything AT ALL for that matter) without actually running the program that embodies the virus, and merely reading an E-mail message can't possibly result in your computer executing the E-mail as a program. Well, that assumes that you don't have your E-mail program set to blindly execute every attachment it receives WITH that E-mail. I had never even heard of any E-mail programs that offer such a ludicrously dangerous option, but apparently at least one does. Definitely turn that option off if your program has it. But as long as you don't blindly run attached files, your computer definitely can't get a virus from merely reading E-mail. >> ~~~~~~~ READ ON THIS CONCERNS YOU~~~~~~~~ >> >> THERE IS A NEW AOL SCAM."It is essential that this problem be reconciled >> as >> soon as possible. A few hours ago, I opened an E-mail that had the subject >> heading of aol4free.com Within seconds of opening it, a window appeared >> and >> began to display my files that were being deleted. I immediately shut down >> my computer, but it was too late. This virus wiped me out. It ate the >> Anti-Virus Software that comes with the Windows '95 Program along with >> F-Prot >> AVS. Neither was able to detect it. Please be careful and send this to as >> many people as possible, so maybe this new virus can be eliminated. >> >> FORWARD this to as many people as you care about!! >> > > >THIS IS NOT A VIRUS...... > >This is what's called a "trojan horse". A virus infects your >computer and goes on to other machines. A trojan horse >looks like a program that does one thing but ends up doing >another, and it's usually bad. > >To further confuse the issue, there was a virus hoax not long >ago called AOL4FREE. Then this email comes along with an >executable attached called AOL4FREE.EXE or AOL4FREE.COM, >and the user just goes ahead and runs the darn thing. > > > __ __ _ __ ____ _ >| \/ | ___ _ __ __ _| | ___ / _| / ___|| |_ ___ _ __ _ _ >| |\/| |/ _ \| '__/ _` | | / _ \| |_ \___ \| __/ _ \| '__| | | | >| | | | (_) | | | (_| | | | (_) | _| ___) | || (_) | | | |_| | >|_| |_|\___/|_| \__,_|_| \___/|_| |____/ \__\___/|_| \__, | > |___/ > > 1. _NEVER_ run an attachment from an email !!!!! > > ... especially from someone you don't know. > > 2. Never set your email package to auto-run any attachment. > This also applies to MS Word auto-running macros. > > 3. ALWAYS inform your system administrator of virus warnings > when you receive them. NEVER forward them on to the > masses. There are proper channels for this info, and > a bunch of people getting fluffly about nothing does > no good. CERT and MCERT (Motorola's Computer Emergency > Response Team) will almost always have the right information > *way* before any email panic gets to you. > > 4. NEVER run with scissors. > >(hopefully, you'll take at least ONE piece of advice :) > > __________________________________________________________________ >| J. Wayne Hall | whall@oakhill.sps.mot.com | Imaging & Storage | >| Sys / Net Admin | RA2560@email.sps.mot.com | CACTG, SPS, Austin | >| Motorola, Inc. | | 512-891-3935 | >|------------------------------------------------------------------| >| It sure would be nice if we got a day off for the president's | >| birthday, like they do for the queen. Of course, then we would | >| have a lot of people voting for a candidate born on July 3 or | >| December 26, just for the long weekends. -- Child imitating | >| Deep Thoughts, Age 8 | > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > > >----- End Included Message ----- Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Wed, 23 Apr 1997 18:34 +0200 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA22494; Wed, 23 Apr 1997 18:34:31 +0200 Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA22501 Received: from by ella.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) id JAA15724; Wed, 23 Apr 1997 09:32:53 -0700 Date: Wed, 23 Apr 1997 09:32:53 -0700 Message-Id: <9704230335.AA16900@odin.cair.du.edu> Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@ella.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@ella.mills.edu