Message-Id: <5.0.2.1.2.20010521224733.03d7b1e0@olsusa.com>
Date: Mon, 21 May 2001 23:13:01 -0400
To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
From: Marvin Kaye <marvkaye@olsusa.com>
Subject: Latest virus attack
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Reply-To: lancair.list@olsusa.com

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Hi everyone,

As many of you are probably painfully aware, there has been a recent spate 
of virus passings going on, attached to messages that appear to be from the 
LML.  This is not the case... all of these messages are coming directly 
from the systems of various LML subscribers who allowed their systems to 
become infected.  This latest virus, when activated, goes into the user's 
email box and selects a message at random which it forwards to everyone in 
that user's addressbook along with an attachment which is the virus's means 
of replication.  As the virus builders get more creative they keep coming 
up with new methods intended to trick us into thinking that their virus is 
actually a simple attachment, labelled to look like a text or Jpeg file, 
that is coming from someone we know.  The surest giveaways that something 
is not right with the attachment is when there is no reference to what the 
attachment is in the post, and the fact that it has something other than a 
.JPG or .TXT extension.  Remember, if the .JPG part is not at the end of 
the filename, that is not the actual extension... the .VBS or .PIF or .SCR 
extensions that actually end the filename identify the file as an 
executable, and not just a picture or textfile.  Do NOT click on these 
files.  Period.

I happened to be travelling home from some work in the Philadelphia area 
over the weekend when the bulk of this latest virus activity 
transpired.  Upon starting my computer the first thing I did was to get the 
latest edition of the virus updates from Norton and ran Norton AV on my 
system... Norton discovered 24 copies of this virus attached to as many 
emails that came into my system over the last 3 days alone.  My cousin, 
Chip, was manning the helm at LML central and he told me that he deleted at 
least that many that were submitted to the LML for approval.  If you are 
among the people who actually clicked on one of those attachments and 
managed to get your system infected, please go to the Norton or McAfee 
websites and see what they have to say about disinfecting your system.  To 
familiarize yourself with this latest virus you might want to go to the 
following website: http//www.europe.f-secure.com/v-descs/badtrans.shtml.

In closing I'd like to share my simple method for keeping my system free 
from infection... it has worked for me for the last 10 years, and I'm 
pleased to report that even though I have had countless attacks I've never 
had my system infected.  The method is this... don't click on anything that 
accompanies an email that you can't identify.  Reply to the message and ask 
the sender what the attachment was... if it was a valid file he'll tell 
you.  If it wasn't he probably won't even know that it was sent from his 
system.  If you don't feel like following up on these things you'll need to 
curb your curiosity and live by the following rule: "When in doubt, throw 
it out!"

Thanks for your time.  Lets get our systems cleaned up and get back to our 
Lancair discussions.

   <Marv>

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LML website:   http://www.olsusa.com/Users/Mkaye/maillist.html
LML Builders' Bookstore:   http://www.buildersbooks.com/lancair

Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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