[LargeFormat] Viruses, Largeformat and Us

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alan Davenport" <w7apd@attbi.com>
To: <largeformat@f32.net>
Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2003 6:05 PM
Subject: [LargeFormat] Viruses, Largeformat and Us


> THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE OF INTEREST TO MEMBERS OF THIS
LIST.
>
> Today I got an email with an attachment.  It purported to
be from
> one "Largeformat Moderator
<Largeformat-owner@jonathanharris.co.uk>"
> with a subject of "Welcome to Largeformat."
>
> I have not subscribed to any new lists lately.
>
> I've been fairly confident that my antivirus program
(Norton) is up
> to snuff; it automatically updates itself every week.  The
attachment
> on today's email passed inspection by Norton and was just
sitting there,
> ready for me to click on it.
>
> My virus definitions were dated 5/28/2003.
>
> Now the first thing I want to say is, "I don't trust email
attachments."
> IF they come from someone I know (generally meaning one of
the people
> receiving this message from me) and IF the person TELLS ME
there is
> such and such an attachment, and IF it passes scrutiny by
Norton, I
> MIGHT consider opening an attachment.  Or not.
>
> Today's came allegedly from an online discussion list that
I subscribe
> to.  That list doesn't send attachments, only text.  Red
flag up!
>
> Instead of opening the attachment, I updated my virus
defs, then
> scanned the folder where my emails reside.  Guess what?
Yup, it was
> the newest rendition of the bugbear virus, a particularly
nasty virus
> that made the rounds a year or so back.  It's back with
several new
> variants.  The important point here is this:  a state of
the art
> antivirus program did not recognize this new variant of an
old virus
> until after I updated the definitions.
>
> I have reconfigured Norton to update DAILY.  No, I'm not
being too
> paranoid.  If you are being less cautious, please
reconsider.
>
> U P D A T E   Y O U R   V I R U S   P R O G R A M
>
> DO IT OFTEN.  THE COMPUTER YOU PROTECT MAY BE YOUR OWN.
OR MINE.
>
>
> Alan Davenport
> Carpe luminem: facio ingens aut ite domum!
>
  Obviously the message did not come from this list but had
a header to make it seem as though it did.
  My anti-virus program is set to automatically update
whenever there is a new pattern available. It checks
whenever I am on line. In the last week its updated about
five times, once twice in one day.  Norton is a very good
anti-virus progarm, it also checks outgoing mail, a good
precaution.
There is certainly a lot of junk out there.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com