Important computer virus alert!!!!!!!

[Squeek]

Sounds like there's going to be more gullibility in this one.  I just got a message in my inbox today with the message "hi", and attachment included, and no return address.  I had no idea what it was, so I opened it and got a virus!

Well, that's what most people would say.  As soon as I even saw that there was an email I deleted it, because as we should all know by now, I do not get email.

~Squeek

[Nick]

Or try running linux sometime

Seriously, the linux system is getting more user friendly, all the software comes free, and these issues that happen to that other operating system never hit linux.

In the meantime, as Squeek says, never open an email attachment from an unknown source, and be very wary in any event. []

[Nagual]

Or just get rid of the evil duo: Internet Explorer & Outlook...
There are plenty of other free browsers and mail readers with no activeX and other crap.

Install a firewall (like ZoneAlarm), even if you have an external one.  This way you can also monitor what softwares are trying to go out.

And of course, don't execute anything sent to you; avoid software downloaded from P2P (or check their md5 checksum first); etc...

And if you are the unlucky user of Real Secure and BlackIce products, check this one:
http://www.viruslist.com/eng/index.html?tnews=1001&id=1198881

PS: About the message itself, it sounds like a "social" virus itself; especially when you read: "the most destructive ever!" or "Please pass this mail to all of your friends.  Forward this to everyone in your address book."

[Grigori]

quote:Originally posted by Nagual
PS: About the message itself, it sounds like a "social" virus itself; especially when you read: "the most destructive ever!" or "Please pass this mail to all of your friends.  Forward this to everyone in your address book."

Yeah it is wiping out "sector zero" would also kill the virus which would nicely stop the virus from spreading though [] Oh and you can check McAfee.com there's nothing like it listed in the last few weeks. Thoug a good sign it's a hoax is the "mail to all of your friends" line .

[Anonymous]

Yeah I wasn't too sure if it was real or not but I wanted to post it just in case.

[Kazbadan]

I have a little advantage on you: my language. I explain: all the mails that i receive are in portuguese, so if i see any mail in english i know almost instantly that it is a virus. Maybe you are not seeing this very well, but imagine that the majority of the real bad virus in the world are in french. You are only used to receive mails in english, so if you see a french mail saying "Bonjour" "Mon ami!", etc you would strange and think that it is a virus.

By the way, i donr understand too much about computers but, isnt difficult to make a virus atacking that sector zero?! I thought that virus would only atack the main system (windows, linux, whatever). How is that?

And finally, thanks for the warning Ewiggin!

[Nagual]

quote:isnt difficult to make a virus atacking that sector zero?! I thought that virus would only atack the main system (windows, linux, whatever). How is that?

It is very easy; as long as you have the administrative rights to do it...  And, in windows, as far as I know, anybody have the rights to it more or less by default...

Many experts find it very weird that virus writers were so "nice" so far...  There are many nasty things to do (other than deleting the hard drive); like screwing the BIOS of the motherboard... Most motherboards would just "die" and you can throw them away (or maybe buy a new Bios chip for a generic motherboard, if possible)...  In the past, you could also let the hardrive's head just drop on the platters; and I think the disk would be dead.

[Gwathren]

quote:Originally posted by Kazbadan

I have a little advantage on you: my language. I explain: all the mails that i receive are in portuguese, so if i see any mail in english i know almost instantly that it is a virus.

My language is estonian, but I still get most of my mails in english, because not very many people speak estonian[xx(]

Language doesn't help me here[]

[pyro4571]

just out of curiosity, where is estonia? and i have not gotten any updates about it yet on norton antivirus.

[Gwathren]

quote:Originally posted by pyro4571

just out of curiosity, where is estonia?

I knew it was just a matter of time that someone asks that question. Estonia is one of the countries who is joining the EU this year. You know Finland? It's in north-eastern europe. Estonia is a little south from there.

[pyro4571]

ohhhhhhhh...... thats cool. i have been wondering for a while about a few places.
-thanks

[darkangel13]

quote:EnderWiggin: Yeah I wasn't too sure if it was real or not but I wanted to post it just in case.

personally, it sounds like more of a hoax than an actual virus to me, but if i get an email like you described, i'll be getting rid of it ASAP, hehe...

1 1/2 - 2 years ago a friend emailed me telling me that there was a virus going around that had its own icon, so i searched and found the icon on my computer... an hour later she told me that it was a hoax, that even though the icon appeared on the computer, it wasn't a virus... it scared me quite a bit tho, hehe

-Kristina

[Anonymous]

I just received an email, which is as follows:

A new virus has just been discovered that has been
classified by
Microsoft
as the most destructive ever! This virus was
discovered yesterday
afternoon
by McAfee and no vaccine has yet ! been developed.
This virus simply
destroys Sector Zero from the hard disk, where
vital information for its
functioning are stored.

This virus acts in the following manner:

It sends itself automatically to all contacts on
your list with the
title
"A Card for You".
As soon as the supposed virtual card is opened
the computer freezes so that the user has to
reboot. When the
ctrl+alt+del
keys or the reset button are pressed, the virus
destroys Sector Zero,
thus
permanently destroying the hard disk. Yesterday in
just a few hours
this
virus caused panic in New York, according to news
broadcast by CNN.
This
alert was received by an employee of Microsoft
itself.
So don't open any mails with subject: "A Virtual
Card for You." As soon
as
you get the mail, delete it!! Even if you know the
sender!!!

Please pass this mail to all of your friends.
Forward this to everyone in your address book. I'm
sure most people,
like
myself, would rather receive this notice 25 times
than not at all


That is the entire message. Sounds like a pretty scary virus.