Virus Warning - Please Read

[RobAC]

I have posted this in my own Community Forums and felt it should be posted here as well:

There is a computer virus going around that is rapidly spreading. It is called the W32 Sircam.Worm virus. It comes attached to a text document via email and the email is sent from users that you have communicated with before. The way it works is that when a user becomes infected with the virus, the virus goes through the user's email address book and sends emails to everyone in the address book with attachments that are entitled with different names...such as Traffic Log or Book1 etc.

I encourage all of our members to make sure that you are virus protection software. I cannot stress that enough. The only reason why this virus is spreading is because of one of two reasons:

1. You are not running virus protection software
2. Your virus proection software definition files are not up to date

Please make sure that you are either running a virus protection software pkg. on your computer and/or your definition files are updated.

[OneChance]

Here's a link to Symantec. BTW, I've received 5 or 6 of these virus-laden e-mails, all from people/companies I have never heard of. I wonder how these people even have my e-mail address. My computer is not on a network, it's at home. Also, I use Eudora and never opened these attachments, yet Symantec's removal tool found a registry key and a couple of files associated with SirCam. Weird stuff.

[Craig Armstrong]

I've gotten this email well over 100 times in the past week (25 since yesterday).

The email contains the text...

Hi! How are you,

I send you this file in order to have your advice

See you later, Thanks

Sometimes, also in spanish. I'd also incourage anyone to not download ANY attachements they reveice, unless they're expecting it. If your not, even though it may be from someone you know, it still very well may be a virus. That's how these things work. Be sure to call up your friend and make sure that it is indeed from him/her and that it is the correct file name. Also, if you have already been infected with this virus, you can download the security update to rid this from your computer at Sarc.Com.

[mjames]

I've received the e-mail once so far. But geese, this is old news!

[RobAC]

It's old news, but the virus continues to spread quite rapidly because computer users continue to ignore the necessity of implementing virus protection software and getting into the habit of routinely updating definition files once they do have it installed. IMHO, something like this cannot be stressed enough.

[VirtueTech]

My Outlook blocks the attachment it sends anyway....woo hoo.

I've found that my norton anti virus doesn't even see anything of the sort so I guess the outlook block of the attachment works fine.

[JimF]

Originally posted by mjames
I've received the e-mail once so far. But geese, this is old news!

Not for me - I hadn't heard about this until today when I received 25+ emails from a friend of mine.

I didn't even realize it was a virus until I started seeing posts like these on (all) the forums I visit...

Silly me opened one attachememt at work today, hey - it was from a friend of mine - I'll have to nuke it before it goes to work on our network...

-jim

[Freddie Bingham]

It's just like the admin to not run VirusScan but force all the users to .. or at least that is me, can't have those damn things slowing down my computer a bit.

[Mike Sullivan]

I hadn't been running any virus scanning software on my dad's computer. (Yeah, yeah, I know)

Well, he got a virus a while back but that was easy to deal with -- ZoneAlarm caught it trying to send out an email and stopped it.

The one he got yesterday sucked. Hard. I spent most of a day trying to go through the 80+ apps infected (in c:\windows\system).

Yeah, and didn't help that he's still running Win 95A. You know Norton anti-virus doesn't even work on that? It needs 95B...

I think he's not going to open any attachments anymore

As for this one, I've gotten it 3 or 4 times so far. From people I don't know (spam lists? )

[The_Net_Muppet]

I use Linux to Surf the net, you dont need a virus killer.... Windows you suck!

[JamesUS]

I installed Norton 2 days ago, just in time for the virus which arrived this morning It came from one of my customers.

[Skeptical]

I started getting this worm ever since last week. At the time nobody knew about it so I went to Norton's site. There was this big virus picture with the words "Sircam" on it. That's how I knew.

To this date I think I've received over 200 of those emails. And they're still coming in by the buttloads.

[Jake Bunce]

jake say:
1. Don't use computer based e-mail clients. Stick with web browser based scripts for e-mail.
2. Don't use Outlook express. That program is so vulnerable it's not even funny.
3. Don't use PCs for downloading e-mail attachments, use a Mac as they are almost guaranteed to be immune to any harmful viruses since they are all written for PC. I collect PC viruses on my Mac that I get in my e-mail (edit, wow! that's a misplaced modifier!). I like to show my PC only friends that I have all these viruses and they don't do anything, hehehe. I have Melissa, Angelina Cornocova (sp?), that old school chernobal (sp?) one, i love you, etc.

on that same note, i heard that sub seven was recently ported to OS X. Now that Mac has an OS based on FreeBSD *nix I guess this is to be expected.

[Skeptical]

Skeptical say, unhook your modem and network cards and become immune to 99.9999% of all viruses. Damn I should get a patent for that one.

[mbcguru]

I've gotten numerous copies of this virus, too. More than the Snow White thing. It's driving me crazy. I run McAffee that updates and gives me virus news every morning, so I knew it was coming and recognized it instantly the first time it came through.

There's "something" about the text that always comes with viruses that clues me in. Anyone I know who would honestly want me to look over something would give me a little more detail than "I send you this file in order to have your advice," so I was instantly suspicious of this one (not to mention it hasn't yet come from a friend, but from strangers and to addresses that I don't typically use). The last time a virus came through from a friend I could tell the text was "canned" so I deleted it w/o opening it. I don't open any attachments, even from friends, unless they told me it's coming or they include a reasonable explaination of the attachment.

Oh, and that virus hoax that told people to remove a Windows file! LOL. I had a client call me in a total panic May 31st at 5pm telling me "YOU HAVE A VIRUS!" and I'm thinking he got some email from me with an attachment or maybe he knew he accidentally sent one to me. Then he proceeded to walk me through the steps in the email to find and delete the file. I had already seen the email and knew it was a hoax, so I stopped him cold and told him. He was quite upset. He had already deleted the file from his computer. So after I told him where to get information on restoring the file, I hung up and fell apart laughing.

But what I really want to know is DON'T THESE PEOPLE HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO WITH THEIR TIME???? Geez!