Dear List......
I've edited today's edition of Internet TOURBUS, leaving only the comments
pertaining to the Happy99.exe issue that has recently been discussed.
This problem may be, and probably is, more pervasive and dangerous
than we realize.
The TOURBUS editors regularly debunk "urban legends" and myths
circulated on the Internet. Unfortunately this isn't one of them.
Regards,
Gaylon
Johnson Research Associates
--Court researchers needed--
Email serious inquiries to:
<[log in to unmask]>
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, February 12, 1999 1:37 AM
Subject: TOURBUS -- 14 FEBRUARY 1999 -- EBlast Site of the Day / Happy99.exe
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>BEWARE OF HAPPY99.EXE ... OR IS IT HAPPY2000.EXE ... OR HAPPY.EXE ... OR
>NOTAVIRUS.EXE ... OR ...?
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>MSNBC reporter Bob Sullivan is at it again, this time warning people to
>beware of a file named "happy99.exe" because it is actually "a computer
>worm ... making its way around the Internet, sending hundreds of copies
>of itself via e-mail attachments and newsgroup postings." [Quote from
>http://www.msnbc.com/news/235662.asp].
>
>Brace yourself folks: the story is true. There is indeed a file out
>there named "happy99.exe," and infected versions of this file will
>indeed do some nasty things to your computer.
>
>Before you start to panic like the millions of other Internet users who
>have read Sullivan's article, though, ask yourself the following:
>
> 1. How hard is it to rename a computer file? Could *YOU* do it?
> 2. Do you think that someone savvy enough to deliberately
> distribute a computer virus over the Internet also knows how to
> rename a computer file?
> 3. How likely do you think it is that someone will rename
> the infected file "happy99.exe" and redistribute that infected
> file under another file name?
>
>Obviously, the answer to all of these questions is "DUH!" Any parent
>who has inadvertently left his or her computer unattended for even a
>minute can attest to the fact that even preschoolers know how to rename
>computer files. [On most computers, you click on the file once to
>select it, wait a second, click on the file's name, and then start
>typing; on Windows machines you can also right click over the file and
>then select "Rename" from the pull-down menu]. Folks, if preschoolers
>can rename computer files, so can Net menaces.
>
>As for the question about the possibility of someone renaming
>"happy99.exe" and redistributing it under another name, not only am I
>certain that it is possible, I will bet it has already happened. And
>if that doesn't send a chill down your spine, this will: there are over
>2.8 TRILLION possible file names out there, and every single one could
>contain a virus, Trojan Horse, or worm.
>
>Fortunately, the best way to protect yourself from Happy99 and tens of
>thousands of other computer viruses is to purchase an antivirus program
>and update your virus definitions often (at least once a week). Norton
>AntiVirus currently scans for 21,219 different viruses, Trojan Horses,
>and worms, including the "happy99" worm (and, unlike our friendly MSNBC
>reporter, Norton AntiVirus doesn't foolishly assume that the happy99
>worm only infects files named "happy99.exe." Instead, Norton scans ALL
>files, regardless of their names, for both the happy99 worm and the
>21,218 other viruses Norton knows about).
>
>The other thing you can do to protect yourself from Happy99 and other
>computer viruses is to follow this advice:
>
> If you see an executable file (files that end in ".exe") in a
> place where it doesn't belong (like attached to an email letter),
> or if you receive a file and have no earthly idea where the file
> came from or what the file does, DON'T DOUBLE-CLICK THE FILE!
> Just throw out the file and move on with your life.
>
> Or, as Rob Rosenberger so eloquently put it, "beware any file sent
> by someone you don't know. Beware any file sent by someone you DO
> know."
>
>As you can see, warning people to beware of a particular file name
>(like happy99.exe) is, at best, foolish. There are 2.8 trillion
>possible file names out there, and every one could contain a virus.
>Even worse, knowing the name of a file that contains a virus does you
>no good because of how easy it is to rename computer files.
>
>In other words, you can ignore virus warnings that tell you to watch
>out for only one file name, even if those warnings come from MSNBC.
>
>=====================[ Tourbus Rider Information ]===================
> The Internet Tourbus - U.S. Library of Congress ISSN #1094-2238
> Copyright 1995-98, Rankin & Crispen - All rights reserved
> Archives on the Web at http://www.TOURBUS.com
>
>Do You Like Tourbus? Recommend It and You Could Win a Palm Pilot!
><a href=" http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=194773 "> CLICK </a>
>
>Join: Send SUBSCRIBE TOURBUS Your Name to [log in to unmask]
>Leave: Send SIGNOFF TOURBUS to [log in to unmask]
>
> Send this copy to 3 friends and tell them to hop on the Bus!
>=====================================================================
>
> .~~~. ))
> (\__/) .' ) )) Patrick Douglas Crispen
> /o o \/ .~
>{o_, \ { [log in to unmask]
> / , , ) \ http://www.netsquirrel.com/
> `~ '-' \ } )) AOL Instant Messenger: Squirrel2K
> _( ( )_.'
>'---..{____} Warning: squirrels.
