Post by Holodoc on May 14, 2002 22:47:08 GMT -5
About two weeks ago the Klez computer virus was upgraded due to excessive proliferation. If the company's support inboxes are any indication, the Klez, or W32.Klez.H@mm is still spreading. Or, in literal translation: people are still gullible enough to click Email attachments they didn't expect to get from their friends.
The way they spread is like this: you use a Miscrosoft product to manage your Email. You get the virus. You either have the program set to automatically load attachments for view, or clicked to launch it because the Email might have come from someone you know. It is programmed to access your Outlook address book and any Email addresses linked in hundreds of stored html pages in Temporary Internet Files, and then uses your program to select files on your computer and send them with the virus stuck to them to all those people without asking you. Some friend of yours gets an Email from you, and the whole thing may begin again.
Several other viruses have sprung forth, just in time to sabotage college finals for many students and frustrate any soon-to-be-former professors. Perhaps this is why they've begun to hit now?
Anyway, there are a few things to learn. They're pretty common sense.
1. Don't click an unknown Email attachment
2. Set Outlook or Outlook Express not to have a Preview Pane. This is when the top half of the screen is the Inbox and the bottom half is the message of the highlighted letter on the list above. Bad stuff when all you need to do his select a listing with one click and the thing opens up. You can't delete it without highlighting it, can you? For some viruses, that's too late.
3. Better yet: Don't use Outlook or Outlook Express. Use a different Email program, one which gives you better control and doesn't use the Windows address book, like Eudora or Pegasus.
4. DON'T PASS ANTI VIRUS EMAIL MESSAGES! No. Confirm the new first by going to Norton-Symantec or McAfee, and looking for the alleged virus. If the virus is genuine and you feel compelled to spread the word, make your own BRIEF message and include those legitimate links so people can protect and/or decontaminate their computers. You'll also prevent hoaxes from being spread, which is just as bad. A good example is the jdbgmgr.exe Hoax, in which people unwittingly spread a virus alert and get people to delete an important system file. It's just as bad as sending that nasty attachment.
5. Use anti virus software. True, a virus has to exist before a cure has been made for it, but your common sense will serve to protect you until the next virus definitions download (btw Norton had FOUR in the last ten days)
6. Clear your Temporary Internet Files via Tools - Internet Options in IE on a regular basis.
7. Don't think you can't get hit because you're not using Windows or Outlook. See that "W32" in the Klez name? It means 32-bit Windows, or Win95, Win98, Win ME, Win NT, and Win 2k are susceptible. "W97" would mean the program MS Word 97. However, although Windows is one of the more inferior operating systems and easy to compromise, there are prefixes which associate viruses with Mac, Unix, Linux, BSD, and so on.
8. Checking Anti-Virus sites when you get Emails helps you gird your cyberloins. A page such as Norton's expanded threats list will quickly confirm or deny what you've been told by some frantic, twelfth generation message forward. Trust only the pro's and you can't go wrong.
The way they spread is like this: you use a Miscrosoft product to manage your Email. You get the virus. You either have the program set to automatically load attachments for view, or clicked to launch it because the Email might have come from someone you know. It is programmed to access your Outlook address book and any Email addresses linked in hundreds of stored html pages in Temporary Internet Files, and then uses your program to select files on your computer and send them with the virus stuck to them to all those people without asking you. Some friend of yours gets an Email from you, and the whole thing may begin again.
Several other viruses have sprung forth, just in time to sabotage college finals for many students and frustrate any soon-to-be-former professors. Perhaps this is why they've begun to hit now?
Anyway, there are a few things to learn. They're pretty common sense.
1. Don't click an unknown Email attachment
2. Set Outlook or Outlook Express not to have a Preview Pane. This is when the top half of the screen is the Inbox and the bottom half is the message of the highlighted letter on the list above. Bad stuff when all you need to do his select a listing with one click and the thing opens up. You can't delete it without highlighting it, can you? For some viruses, that's too late.
3. Better yet: Don't use Outlook or Outlook Express. Use a different Email program, one which gives you better control and doesn't use the Windows address book, like Eudora or Pegasus.
4. DON'T PASS ANTI VIRUS EMAIL MESSAGES! No. Confirm the new first by going to Norton-Symantec or McAfee, and looking for the alleged virus. If the virus is genuine and you feel compelled to spread the word, make your own BRIEF message and include those legitimate links so people can protect and/or decontaminate their computers. You'll also prevent hoaxes from being spread, which is just as bad. A good example is the jdbgmgr.exe Hoax, in which people unwittingly spread a virus alert and get people to delete an important system file. It's just as bad as sending that nasty attachment.
5. Use anti virus software. True, a virus has to exist before a cure has been made for it, but your common sense will serve to protect you until the next virus definitions download (btw Norton had FOUR in the last ten days)
6. Clear your Temporary Internet Files via Tools - Internet Options in IE on a regular basis.
7. Don't think you can't get hit because you're not using Windows or Outlook. See that "W32" in the Klez name? It means 32-bit Windows, or Win95, Win98, Win ME, Win NT, and Win 2k are susceptible. "W97" would mean the program MS Word 97. However, although Windows is one of the more inferior operating systems and easy to compromise, there are prefixes which associate viruses with Mac, Unix, Linux, BSD, and so on.
8. Checking Anti-Virus sites when you get Emails helps you gird your cyberloins. A page such as Norton's expanded threats list will quickly confirm or deny what you've been told by some frantic, twelfth generation message forward. Trust only the pro's and you can't go wrong.
