8 replies to this topic

[Blofeld's Cat]

I just received the following from a friend via e-mail.

As you may know, when/if a worm virus gets into your computer it heads straight for your e-mail address book and sends itself to everyone in there, thus infecting all your friends and associates.

This trick won't keep the virus from getting into your computer, but it will stop it from using your address book to spread further, and it will alert you to the fact that the worm has gotten into your system.

Here's what you do: first, open your address book and click on "new contact just as you would do if you were adding a new friend to your list of e-mail addresses.

In the window where you would type your friend's first name, type in !000 (that's an exclamation mark followed by three zeros). In the window below where it prompts you to enter the new e-mail address, type in two words....WORMALERT....,which of course, isn't a real e-mail address.

Then complete everything by clicking add, enter, OK, etc.

Now, here's what you've done and why it works:

The "name" !000 will be placed at the top of your address book as entry #1. This will be where any worm will start in an effort to send itself to all your friends.

But when it tries to send itself to !000, it will be undeliverable because of the phony e-mail address you entered (WormAlert). If the first attempt fails (which it will because of the phony address), the worm goes no further and your friends will not be infected.

Here's the second great advantage of this method:

If an e-mail cannot be delivered, you will be notified of this in your Inbox. almost immediately.

Hence, if you ever get an e-mail telling you that an e-mail address to WormAlert could not be delivered, you know right away that you have the worm virus in your system. You can then take steps to get rid of it!

Thought this was worthwhile since cyber-terrorism may be on the rise.

Please pass it on.

Someone more computer literate than I may be able to sing the praises of this or not.

[freemo]

I have and I was dumb enough to open it. It sent my files out to email addresses on sites I visited. What a mess, I had to delete alot of my doc files and go to other lengths I wont mention here to get rid of. Oh, and not long after I did, I got the same letter, pity it was a bit late.

[Blofeld's Cat]

I'm glad to say I havn't had that experience yet, Daniel. What does it actually do when that happens?

[Blue Eyes]

Has anyone else noticed what I think are virsus? You receive an e-mail that auto opens Media Player (if you open it through outlook) and asks you to open a file that's something like XXXX.DOC.PIF or XXXX.MP3.PIF

Something mean going on there.

[freemo]

I thought that was for blues singers.

[Blofeld's Cat]

freemo (29 Nov, 2001 10:25 p.m.):
.....I had to get my anti virus stuff and I had to delete the corupted files, which included a new Bond fan fic piece that was coming along alot nicer than my previous ones and I'm too annoyed to rewrite it.

Authors need a bit of angst and strife in their life to really bring out character in their works.

Or is that for poets?

[freemo]

It wasn't pretty, it takes a couple of your files and sends them out to all the addresses, most don't make it because alot of Inboxes have virus blockers or whatever, but damn it was mess. I had to get my anti virus stuff and I had to delete the corupted files, which included a new Bond fan fic piece that was coming along alot nicer than my previous ones and I'm too annoyed to rewrite it.

[Blue Eyes]

freemo (29 Nov, 2001 07:56 a.m.):
I have and I was dumb enough to open it. It sent my files out to email addresses on sites I visited.

No wonder I keep getting e-mails from all of these people I've never had any communication with.

[The Admiral]

Luckily, I've only been infected with Sircam once, rushed out and bought McAffee Virus Scan ang got rid of it - touch wood I won't see anymore!

Great tip there Blofeld's Cat, however, I'm not so sure that a virus will send itself to someone, then wait to check they receive it, then send it onto the next person. I'm no expert, but I'm just wondering.