hello, we're back. Her eis a couple of intersting te,ms from an email from steve bass:
July 17th, 2002
* Stop E-Mail Hoaxes in Their Tracks
Last week I was kvetching about receiving way too many e-mail hoaxes.
Friends forward them to either keep me informed (yeah, right, Bill
Gates is going to send me $100 if I say something nice about him), or
ask me if it's a true story. Talk about gullible: One guy, a member of
the users group, actually sent me that silly one from the Nigerian
king who's itching to deposit 5 million bucks in my bank account.
(Although after the deposit, I'll bet I'd get a little bit more
respect from my bank.)
In this newsletter I'll tell you about hoaxes that can harm your
PC--never mind your ego--and a few ways to sidestep being duped.
Want to feel a little dazed and confused? A bunch of unhinged kids are
sending e-mails that pretend to help you remove a worm or virus, or
provide a terrific hack, but actually plant a virus or worm on your
system. On top of that, there's one virus that may--or may not--really
be able to infect you.
Klez.E Worm Immunity Hoax
You've heard of the Klez worm, right? (Hell, you should have--it seems
millions of computers have been infected with Klez...) Just in case,
read "Klez Worm Continues to Spread," at:
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,96923,tk,sbx,00.asp
What's happening now is some miscreant created an antivirus *scam*--an
alleged immunity for the Klez worm. The message (see it below) has
"Class.bat" attached to it, which isn't a batch file at all. It's a
Visual Basic program with the Klez Worm built in. Click on "Class.bat"
and zap, you're infected with Klez.
I want to make sure you understand what's happening. So, folks, read
this carefully: The "free immunity tool" *is* the scam because the
free tool actually contains the Klez worm. The message is made to look
authentic, which is why I said it's an antivirus *scam.*
---------start of antivirus *scam* message---------
Subject: Worm Klez.E immunity
Date: Thu, 09 May 2002 05:17:17 -0700
Klez.E is the most common world-wide spreading worm. It's very
dangerous by corrupting your files. Because of its very smart stealth
and anti-anti-virus technic [sic], most common AV software can't
detect or clean it.
We developed this free immunity tool to defeat the malicious virus.
You only need to run this tool once, and then Klez will never come
into your PC. NOTE: Because this tool acts as a fake Klez to fool the
real worm, some AV monitor maybe cry when you run it. If so, Ignore
the warning, and select 'continue'. If you have any question, please
mail to me.
---------end of antivirus *scam* message---------
The above message is a *scam.* If you get it, don't follow the advice.
Just delete the message and its attachment.
If you do happen to pick up Klez, it's not all that difficult to
disinfect your computer. Grab a copy of Symantec's W32.Klez Removal
Tool from its site:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.klez.removal.tool.html
Cool Spot
You know how much I like Google, right? You say you don't? Read my
raves at:
"Tips for Super Smart Web Searches"
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,57084,tk,sbx,00.asp
"Home Office: The Skinny on Web Searching"
http://www.pcworld.com/features/article/0,aid,52344,tk,sbx,00.asp
Google is opening new search doors with a variety of cool tools. A
Google "set" lets you type two or three related words, say, lettuce,
cucumber, and tomato, and Google's Set feature gives you a list of
predicted items--a long list of vegetables. Click any item to begin a
traditional Google search. There's also a voice search that lets you
call Google by phone (really), and a series of keyboard shortcuts.
Check out the new features at Google Labs:
http://labs.google.com/
Dig this: I love a good conspiracy theory. I ran across a neat one--a
site that found on the new $20 bills (otherwise known as Yuppie food
stamps) hidden pictures of the World Trade Center and Pentagon
attacks. It's at:
http://www.glennbeck.com/news/05172002.shtml
More Hoaxes. Or Not
* W32.Perrun virus: It's a virus. It's not. No, it is. Well, uh, maybe
it might be. McAfee said the virus was embedded in JPEGs--image
files--but there's been lots of controversy. My take? Even with about
5000 people on assorted private lists I moderate, I haven't had one
report of it. Read the hullabaloo in "Veracity of JPEG Virus
Questioned." It's a virus-free click away:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.perrun.html
* EMU_xbox.exe: Want a way to emulate an Xbox game on your PC? Easy
enough-just download the emulator and you're good to go. Oops, wait,
nothing happened when you tried loading the emulator! Read "Fake Xbox
Emulator Hid Trojan Horse" for the whole story. An emulated version
exists here:
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,99586,tk,sbx,00.asp
Hoax Protection
Over the years, I've doled out advice to help keep user group members
from falling for hoaxes. Here are a few of my best tips.
* Watch for forwarded messages with warnings, proclamations,
dreadfully worrisome stories, or financial giveaways.
* If a message has lots of words in capital letters and you see more
than one or two exclamation points, it's a sure sign the message is a
hoax.
* It's as inevitable as a Win 98 crash that you'll receive a message
warning you of a virus or worm. Some of these warnings sound so
plausible--especially with so many new viruses popping up--that'll
you'll be tempted to act on the message's instructions. Or you'll
forward it to EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!! (Forward the one you saved for me
directly to my editor. Thanks.)
If you suspect that a message is a hoax, the best thing to do is to
check any antivirus site--or one of the sites listed below--to see if
your message is mentioned.
Sophos Virus Info: Hoaxes and Scares
http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/hoaxes
TruthOrFiction.com
http://www.truthorfiction.com
About.com: Urban Legends and Folklore
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blhoax.htm?PM=ss11_urbanlegends
Snopes.com: Urban Legends Reference Page
http://www.snopes2.com/info/whatsnew.htm
You could also take one or two key words from the message and search
on Google. Chances are good that Google may find that it's a hoax or
urban myth. For instance, go to:
http://www.google.com
and type "Christopher John Mineo" (with the quotes), or "nigerian
government official." Really, try it--you'll be surprised.
Dig this: Did you like that last conspiracy site? I have another, and
it's a doozy. Basically, the site provides an amazing display of how
powerful people appear to run the country. Check it out ... unless
you're already experiencing paranoid delusions, in which case avoid
the site, okay?
http://www.theyrule.net/
Knock, Knock. Who's There?
It's me, wondering if you're forwarding some of the neat "Dig this"
links I've mentioned to your buddies. If you are, let them know they
can have their own copy, earning me brownie points with my bosses.
Send your friends to:
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/newsletters/index.asp?sub_source=NL_XB
=====================================================================
* NVidia Unveils NForce2
Dual DDR chip set promises better performance, greater options in
graphics and connectivity.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,102647,tk,cx071602a,00.asp
* Graphics Boards News
Recent reports of new developments and reviews of graphics board
technology
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/browse/0,cat,1050,sortIdx,1,tk,cx071602a,00.asp
* Check out all of today's news...
http://www.pcworld.com/news/index/0,tk,cxA,00.asp
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