It's generic name is "Blackworm" and if the folks at the Internet Storm Center are right - and they usually are - it is going to become a serious problem on February 3, 2006. While the actual number of people that will be affected is not as great as for some earlier threats, those that are affected are going to be seriously hurt.
"Blackworm" is set to activate on February 3, 2006 and when it does, it will begin deleting files on the hard drives of infected computers. It will also harvest email addresses and attempt to send itself to the addresses it finds. A very decent technical writeup can be found HERE.
The writeup includes the files types that will be targets, names of attachments and subject lines. You can also find links to Symantec's removal tool.
What can you do to protect yourself? Here are a few simple steps:
1. Do not open any attachments that you receive with your email.
2. Update your virus scan patterns at least daily.
3. Run a full scan of your personal computer right now to make sure
that you are not already infected.
4. Make sure that your ISP is providing frontend virus scanning. If not,
dump them and find one that will.
5. Don't Panic.
For the long haul, two additional steps will help significantly: disable ActiveX in Windows and do not send or accept html formatted email (use text only).
Right now it looks as if the large majority of infected computers are located in India with a fair number right here in the good old USA. It is anticipated that it will spread even more prior to February 3, 2006.
The internet can be a downright unfriendly place to visit but if you take common sense steps such as always using antivirus protection, you can deflect much of the risk and make the most of your time on the net.
Created: January 27, 2006
Updated: January 27, 2006
(c)2006 Dogsoldier.com
Friday, January 27, 2006
Monday, January 02, 2006
Misleading Advertising Does Not Make The Internet Any Safer
Anyone who has spent time watching the flood of college and pro football games during the end of December and start of January has undoubtedly seen advertised from a certain mega-huge service provider warning folks about the dangers of high speed connections. I believe the tagline goes something like this: "after all, these things come at you much faster now". The ad goes on to talk about spam and virus scanning, blocking spyware and fighting popups. The entire time the viewer is led to believe that these problems increase radically with a high speed connection and that only the mega-huge service provider can protect them.
Repeat after me: B as in B, S as in S.
The speed of your connection has nothing to do with making you more vulnerable to these problems. Whether you are on a T1 or a 28.8 dialup, the delivery method is the same and none of the problems hit until they are actually downloaded to your machine.
If Joe decides to send you three (3) virus emails, a faster connection only means that you will download them quicker. Once they get to your machine, the connection no longer matters as your local software takes over.
Of more impact is the fact that you are usually talking a fulltime connection when you talk higher access speeds. This can expose your machine to hackers who search through the IP blocks known to be associated with broadband or DSL. But folks, this is not what the commercial is talking about.
So before anyone falls for this misleading advertising, you are not inherently at any more risk with a faster connection then you are with a slow dial-up line. The steps necessary to protect your local machine are exactly the same regardless of connection speed. For instance, virus scanners must be used and kept up to date.
To the folks that are lucky enough to have been raised with the modern technology, these probably does not seem like a big issue and you are right. But to those who are new to the internet or not very technically savvy, scare tactics can be effective.
The internet does not need any more scared users, we need users who have a basic understanding of what is going on and are able to surf and email with confidence and safety.
Repeat after me: B as in B, S as in S.
The speed of your connection has nothing to do with making you more vulnerable to these problems. Whether you are on a T1 or a 28.8 dialup, the delivery method is the same and none of the problems hit until they are actually downloaded to your machine.
If Joe decides to send you three (3) virus emails, a faster connection only means that you will download them quicker. Once they get to your machine, the connection no longer matters as your local software takes over.
Of more impact is the fact that you are usually talking a fulltime connection when you talk higher access speeds. This can expose your machine to hackers who search through the IP blocks known to be associated with broadband or DSL. But folks, this is not what the commercial is talking about.
So before anyone falls for this misleading advertising, you are not inherently at any more risk with a faster connection then you are with a slow dial-up line. The steps necessary to protect your local machine are exactly the same regardless of connection speed. For instance, virus scanners must be used and kept up to date.
To the folks that are lucky enough to have been raised with the modern technology, these probably does not seem like a big issue and you are right. But to those who are new to the internet or not very technically savvy, scare tactics can be effective.
The internet does not need any more scared users, we need users who have a basic understanding of what is going on and are able to surf and email with confidence and safety.
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