On Wed, 6 Dec 2000 10:24:41 -0500, Camilla Flintermann
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>This notice from a friend of mine at the U. of Wisconsin at Stevens Point
>(UWSP)is genuine. Watch out!
>
>>Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2000 16:57:02 -0600
>>Subject: email
>>
>>Yesterday UWSP was hit by a virus, and the server my email is on was
>>unavailable until about 2:30 today, waiting for them to scan all incoming
>>email. Here is the message they had on the web:
>>Creative Shockwave Worm Outbreak (12/04/2000, 4:50 PM)
>>There is currently an outbreak of the W95/Creative worm on campus. Please do
>>not execute a program called CREATIVE.EXE attached to any e-mail message.
>>W95/Creative is a worm that arrives as an email attachment named
>>CREATIVE.EXE. The subject line will be: "A great Shockwave flash movie", and
[...]
>>This message is to warn you not to open any .exe or .pif attachments ...
>>
>
>(I think she may have meant "gif" attachments....
How to catch a virus by email:
1- open an attachment that can be a software or an application
(i.e. your newsreader is a software, like a word processor, etc.).
In Windows or DOS, this includes files ending by extensions like:
.exe (usual)
.dll (normally a component of a softwre, but can be run alone
.com (less common today, similar to a .exe)
.scr (screen savers are softwares too)
.pif (this is a DOS command in a Windows environment, that command
may ask to erase your files or to reformat your disk)
2- open an attachment that needs another software to run, i.e.
it is not a standalone and the extension usually indicates which
software will run it. Very small set of examples:
.htm and other Web extensions: may call another software.
.doc, .xls and other Microsoft softwares. Is a set of instructions
that, like a .pif, may be destructive)
.bas and other languages: bas is a basic (I think it is now native
on recent Windows)
etc.
It is also possible to rename the extension of a file so that an
extension that looks like safe is not.
######
Doing it safely.
1- Try to never send anything attached. It is the better mean to hide
a virus, so if you are used to receive attached files, you may more
likely not see a suspicious email. But if you receive nearly never
attachements, then it is easier to find a suspicious email.
2- Always advise the other person you send something, and use your
own words so that the receiver will find it suspicious you send
something and don't tell it, or don't describe it as usual.
3- When you receive an attachment, in particular not planned, ask to
the sender what it is.
4- If you don't know the sender, delete the email.
5- In 1999, a virus (not dangerous) was sent as a firework and the
file was caled Happy99.exe. Any such email should be considered
as suspicious, even if you know the sender (a virus will steal your
address and address book, so the received will believe you sent it.
6- Check the set up of your mailreader to have the better protection
Denis
