Re: OT: viruses and virus scanning

re.:
viruses
Go to Microsoft web site.  They have brand-new down-load that prevents this
problem.  Also, you're security may also have a down-load on their site as the
current worm was a dandy.  Even my printer co. has one.  At any rate, no matter
which program you run, go to their home page , look for a down-load and if you
can't find one, e-mail and ask for one.  Good luck.  "r"

pdanielak@bluecrab.org wrote:

> At 11:12 AM 8/23/01 +0800, you wrote:
> Ok, I was a bit hasty. But it was definitely from the Veggie list.I don't
> usually unsub becos of viruses but I feel insecure on a list that doesn't
> scan outgoing messages.[...]
>
> Hello all,
>
> Apologies in advance -- this post became kind of long, but with all of the
> viruses and worms going around lately, I think it's important. I learned a
> lot yesterday while researching the particular virus Nesa is talking about.
>
> I probably would have felt the same way as Nesa, wanting to leave the list
> right away, if I hadn't over the last few months received viruses in the
> mail from friends of ours, and I can't "unsub" from their mail. In fact,
> this is the first time I have received a virus through a list and not from
> an individual.
>
> It's unfortunate that there are people out there that want to sabotage
> total strangers for whatever reason, but there are some things we can do to
> protect ourselves and each other.
>
> It's a good thing to know where the virus came from, so that the person or
> group can be alerted and clean it up so that it doesn't continue to spread.
> Many times the person passing on the virus does not even know it is on
> his/her computer until someone he or she knows gets the virus and informs
> the sender! The virus that was going around this week is called haptime@mm
> (it also goes by a few aliases), and here are a couple of web sites with
> information which can help you determine, by searching for certain file
> names, if you have the virus on your computer.
>
> http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/vbs.haptime.a@mm.html
>
> http://vil.nai.com/vil/virusSummary.asp?virus_k=99080
>
> http://www.securityportal.com/research/virus/profiles/vbshaptimemm.html
>
> Not always, but most often, even if you get a virus in the mail it will not
> be activated unless you open an attachment that comes with the mail
> (unfortunately, this was not the case with haptime). Now I do not open
> attachments even from friends unless I know exactly what they are sending.
>
> Some attachments to watch out for are those ending in .scr, .vbs, .exe, and
> even .doc, since doc files can contain dangerous macros, and since many of
> the viruses going around seem to target Microsoft products, especially
> Outlook Express. But it is better NOT to open attachments.
>
> Many computers now come with virus scanning software, usually McAfee or
> Norton, but it is important to update (not necessarily upgrade) these
> programs on a regular basis so that files on the latest viruses can be
> added to your program. Updates are free at the web site of the software
> company.
> It is also important to set your virus scanning program to scan your e-mail
> as it comes in.Most of the viruses I have received were detected and
> deleted by McAfee before I could even open the e-mail.
> The next line of defense is not to open any attachments, even from friends,
> unless you know exactly what they are (even then I cringe at attachments now).
>  From what I read yesterday while researching the happier virus, viruses or
> worms can also be found in .html files, so another line of defense would be
> to always write your mail, especially to lists, in plain text. Apparently
> there has been a "security hole" in the Outook Express e-mail program,
> which has something to do with the stationery feature. Microsoft is aware
> of this and offers a security patch on their download page at their web
> site. Most e-mail programs (Eudora, Outlook, Netscape, for sure) have
> options to convert e-mail to plain text before sending.)
>
> Another thing we can do is alert each other -- even though it is "off
> topic" -- of Known viruses that are going around so that we can be on the
> alert when downloading our e-mail. Unfortunately, there are also virus
> "hoaxes" that go around, so don't delete any files from your computer
> unless you get the information from a reputable source and double-check it.
>
> Once again, sorry for the length of this post, but considering the number
> of viruses and worms going around now, I think it's important that we are
> all aware.
>
> Pat
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index