Major Spam Warning: Trojans About

[ArchiveCookie]

Just posted the details in the People forum...

[fmackay]

There was a posting about this on a computer security site I follow this past Friday as the attack started to grow. Also, a new method of SPAM using pdf files is starting to grow. I have received five pdf messages just today but the spam filter at my ISP caught them and put them in the "Junk" folder.

Bob C

I have received 3 of these pdf emails in the space of 1 day, thankfully my spam filter caught them

[Tracey]

Thank you for the warm welcome, Lesley! It was actually an admin here who pointed me in this direction from another forum we're both on, as I was having difficulty finding info about Glasgow! Looks like I'll be playing catch-up for the first little bit...

Hi ArchiveCookie

Pleased you found us ! Im not quite admin but do help out a bit

Tracey

[LesleyB]

Im not quite admin but do help out a bit

Ha! I was wondering who it was.....

[Tracey]

Not only do i not know my abreviations i am too honest for my own good - mostly !

[ArchiveCookie]

Thank you for the warm welcome, Lesley! It was actually an admin here who pointed me in this direction from another forum we're both on, as I was having difficulty finding info about Glasgow! Looks like I'll be playing catch-up for the first little bit...

Hi ArchiveCookie

Pleased you found us ! Im not quite admin but do help out a bit

Tracey

*Oooops*

[Bob C]

... there was one email with the subject line of "A Card From Your Neighbour"
David

This has now been changed to:

"... emails with subjects such as:

* Spyware Detected!
* Malware Alert!
* Virus Detected!

The Storm virus from the last week or so (greeting cards) has morphed into this new version. Nothing new, the texts has changed somewhat and the subject line is different. By en large it is still the same attempt to get people to download an exe file. " http:// isc.sans.org/diary.html?date=2007-07-09

Be careful of opening emails from people you don't know and then clicking on embedded links!

Bob C
<dodgy URL disabled...just in case! LesleyB>

[DavidWW]

The saga continues, .................... maybe ...............

Y'day I noticed that Norton's automatic update hadn't happened since a week or so ago...... this is the procedure of updating the virus definitions held by the programme on my computer, so used by a scan, and updated automatically at very regular and frequent intervals.

The advantage of such an automatic procedure is that you don't have to remember to do it; but the disadvantage may be that you don't always check that it has taken place ..........

So I ran the procedure manually, but it failed.

The Norton error message led me to an automatic programme on the Norton site that would correct the problem with the LiveUpdate files on my 'puter, but this failed.

The manual method further recommended by Norton for deleting these LiveUpdate files also failed .........

WARNING this now gets technical. It looks like Norton somehow manages to prevent the deletion of these files unless the relevant programme setup option to disenable this protection is activated.

Even at the C:\ prompt level I was unable to delete these files, or change the file attributes (presumably "read only") preventing such deletion.

Now....... many sosphisticated trojans are known to interfere with major anti-virus packages such as Norton, McAfee, AVG etc........... so that I started to get worried that my experiences that led to this thread had somehow interfered with my 'puter.


Soooo.. .after a few deep breathes, I decided to use the utility that I obtained from Norton earlier this year when I need to reinstall the programme, this only being possible if it was first completely removed.

Ran this programme, and it stalled, - I can only assume because it ran into problems deleting the Norton LiveUpdate files at my end.

A consequence of this was that my 'puter started to run at a 1/100th of its normal speed ..........

Panic?, - not quite, as the use of the Windows XP Restore function put my 'puter back to where it was when a restore point from around 10 days ago was created, - this allows you to put everything back to the way it was back at the point that the Restore Point was created.

In this case Norton's sanity was restored, and everything has been hunky dory since, but it's taught me a real lesson in terms of opening any email with an attachment or link to a website, even when it looks like a mate has sent it ..........

David

[DavidWW]

Collins English Dictionary, - "The Authority on Current English"

"disenable, - to cause to become incapable; prevent", especially, DWW comment, when something that has been positively enabled is reversed !

"disable, - to make ineffective, unfit, or incapable, as by crippling.", but without the implied meaning that a positive step has previously been taken to make something effective, fit, or capable in the first place

Similar, but subtly different, I'd argue

See also Fowler's Modern English Usage

David

PS Ehhh!!! There was a post here to which the above was a tongue-in-cheek response, but said post appears to have gone walkies ..............

[sporran]

Hello David,


I put my hand up. I posted about your dictionary being corrupted by the virus to create disenable out of disable, then edited it when I checked and found the word. After second thoughts, I deleted the post, not to avoid looking stupid (which I frequently am), but in case it was not thought to be tongue-in-cheek.

Although my New Gresham English Dictionary (new in 1930!) has disenable as meaning disable, I see the difference.


Regards,

John