[LargeFormat] Re: Recent virus

[Brock Nanson]

----- Original Message -----
From: Guy Glorieux <guy.glorieux@sympatico.ca>
To: Large Format <largeformat@f32.net>
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2001 3:11 AM
Subject: [LargeFormat] Re: Recent virus


>
>
> Brock Nanson wrote:
>
> > You won't go wrong with the Norton (Symantec) Anti-virus offerings.  The
> > important thing, with whatever package you buy, is to keep it UP TO
DATE!!!
> > <snip>  'Last week' is not recent enough ...
>
> This is so true, Brock.   I run weekly updates and when I did my update
this
> evening, I realized that I had been infected by W32.Badtrans.B@mm some
time
> after last sunday.  Fortunately, Norton AV provides a tool to repair and
remove
> this virus which is not really vicious as far as the OS is concerned.  But
I've
> probably spread it around unknowlingly to other people and this is
something I
> don't really want to do to my friends.
>
> I guess that I'll be running daily updates from now on...
>
> Cheers,
>
> Guy

Daily is really the only option, assuming you are on a permanent connection.
If you aren't then I would start my surfing by checking for an update.
There are viruses that are hidden on web pages now, the writers are getting
smarter every day.

I noticed some strange hits on my web server one evening a while back.
Looked at the Norton site, which reported a new suspected virus behaving as
I saw.  By morning they had the updated virus definition file ready - that
was NIMDA I saw as it started.  Luckily all my Micro$oft stuff is behind
Linux firewalls etc, so I was 'relatively' safe!

Please, those of you who don't have virus software... get it!  There are
some free versions around if you check the software download sites (like
cnet)... they just don't tend to get the new definition files out as
quickly.

A good time to suggest a firewall as well, if you have a permanent
connection this is a must, even dial-up would benefit.  Zone Alarm has a
free version that is one of the best out there, period.  Take a trip to
www.grc.com to see how much you have hanging out in public (we know what
Uncle Dick has hanging out there ;-)

Brock