computer VIRUS

[Phil]

entitled 'POSTCARD if you get a email with this postcard do not open it as it will wipe your hard drive. Please tell all your friends.
Phil

[Dennis]

Yeah - my Norton's picked up this incoming sucker.

Cheers

Dennis

[leon]

Thanks Phil will be on the look out.

Leon

[xelasnave]

Thanks for that Phil that is very decent of you to think of others.l
alex

[Ric]

Thanks for the info Phil, I'll keep an eye out for that one.

Geez I'd hate to lose all my astro info but I do back ups all the time to be safe.

Cheers

[Phil]

Just keep am eye out everyone this is a bad one.
Phil

[trader10]

Yes Phil, there are dozens and dozens of new viruses, malware and spyware getting online everyday....

Intersting article below :

Trojans now bigger threat than virus" says Kapersky

InfoTech
Monday 10 March 2008


If your anti-virus software doesn't track and trap trojans, you are mightily at risk, according to new data from security specialist Kapersky Lab.

Kapersky Labs has released its assessment of threats for 2007 - and it makes startling reading.

The incidence of what we might consider "ordinary" viruses has fallen down the league table of threats. This does not mean that their number has reduced, merely that there are more, and more common, threats of other types. Now, the virus included in files is just the third of five threats listed by the company. However, Kapersky warns against a substantial increase predicted for 2008 - declaring that, amongst others, "they will be developed primarily by Chinese cybercriminals and will target users of online games."

Mobile threats are growing, too, says the company. Trojans (that is malicious programs that hide in the system and send data out) have been identified not just on Windows Mobile but also for Symbian and iPhone. That fifth threat is topped by social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, etc. This is estimated to be a highly efficient means of distributing virus and other threats - due to the willingness of users to allow local running of files from the server. Although it doesn't say so, the fear appears to be that hidden malicious code will be attached to files that are saved or forwarded to others.

The second threat, now seen as bigger than the simple virus, is RootKis. These embed themselves at the launch stage of the operation system - some being a particular variation called a "bootkit" which activates as soon as the computer is turned on. They hide in the boot section of the hard disk and have, for some years, been almost impossible to identify and eradicate.

Readers may remember the scandal when Sony used such a tactic to provide anti-copying security for its CDs and DVDs - modifying user's boot-and root- sectors without consent or, at least, without what doctors would call "informed consent."

But what is seen as the largest threat is what Kapersky (clearly in need of a buzzword) are calling "Malware 2.0." Now we've told you that, we'll ignore it as a rather silly term. But the reason behind it is that malware writers have moved into their second generation of product - and it's that which is the biggest threat.

The so called "StormWorm" is the most successful example of this approach so far, says Kapersky: "It demonstrated such a variety of behavior types and spreading methods during the year that each new creation from the unknown virus writers gave antivirus experts yet another headache. Worms in the Zhelatin family incorporate implementations of nearly all the virus writing achievements of the past several years, including rootkit technologies, code obfuscation, botnets that protect themselves against analysis, and communication between infected computers via P2P networks, without a control center.

Zhelatin worms make use of all the existing spreading methods, both traditional (email and instant messaging systems) and new, such as Web 2.0 services (spreading via social networks, including blogs, forums and RSS feeds)."

They warn that banking and game trojans are regarded as primary carriers for this latest and greatest threat.

But Alisa Shevchenko, a malware analyst at Kapersky Lab says that the malware is itself becoming increasingly clever at identifying attempts to seek and destroy it: "virus writers have been forced to find new methods which their creations can use to protect themselves.

Malware self-defense mechanisms can fulfill one or more tasks, including hindering detection of a virus using signature-based methods; hindering analysis of the code by virus analysts; hindering detection of a malicious program in the system; and hindering the functionality of security software such as antivirus programs and firewalls."

[OneOfOne (Trevor)]

As with most of this stuff, if you receive an email from a suss source, just delete it. If you do happen to open it, a lot of people have a preview of email below the inbox, don't click on any of the links.

We had a couple of staff members at work (and my sister) who used to always forward these "warnings" on. If the warning says things like "it will erase all your files", "the worse virus yet found", "cannot be removed" and other "armageddon" type descriptions....just delete the warning and don't forward it, or at least google it first. If you google this virus, the McAffee site, for example, rates the risk as low. In many cases the warning is the "virus", the creators often just want to see how long before someone forwards the original email on to them. Forwarding this stuff to everyone, as they usually suggest, just clogs the internet and slows us all down

[vindictive666 (John)]

i use a program called mailwasher pro

it prescans my emails so i can suss them before downloading them and i can allso bounce and delete them

[snowyskiesau]

I have two levels of protection against this stuff:

1. I have a website/mail server with a hosting service and run an antivirus/anti spam filter (spam assassin) on it. This removes any viruses and flags spam before sending it to my Bigpond mailbox.

2. I run Linux on all my computers at home so am pretty well immune to any viruses that do get through. I still get the occasional spam message though.

[Dujon]

Geoff,

Please don't take the fact that you run a Linux operating system as some form of protection. Whilst the various Linux systems are less prone to attacks it does not mean that they are immune. I subscribe to a site which does its best to collate and distribute information regarding weaknesses in operating systems and programs. Gentoo, Debian, Red Hat, and other Linux O/S feature often enough to indicate that they do have faults that are able to be exploited by those inclined to such activities.

*edit*

I don't know just how good the information is but I sure as heck am not complaining. If you are interested then visit:

http://secunia.com/mailing_lists/

and sign up for the advisories - it's first on the list.

If you do then be prepared for lots of e-mails each day (many of which will not apply to you).

[snowyskiesau]

John,
I'm well aware that Linux is not completely immune from virus attacks, it is however a lot less likely to be targeted than any Microsoft OS. The number of email based attacks is very low.
Most vulnerabilities in Linux (or UNIX) are aimed at getting elevated privileges for an existing user account or via some security hole in a networked application, very few email borne viruses are known.

In the years I've been running Linux, I've never run across a linux specific email virus.
This include being the administrator of an antispam/antivirus service provider handling millions of messages day.

The best way to combat viruses is education - if you don't know what an attachment is or does, don't open it!

[vindictive666 (John)]

The best way to combat viruses is education - if you don't know what an attachment is or does, don't open it!


that is why i like my mailwasher pro