Reflectorites
This was posted on another list I am on.
The "Love Bug" virus has now `mutated' (by intelligent design) :-) so that
no longer is the "ILOVEYOU" subject line a giveaway.
Since it would presumably be easy to rename even the "FW:" part of the
subject line or even the ".vbs" extension of the attachment, those who are
running Microsoft Outlook (or any emailer using Microsoft's scripting
language) are vulnerable if they click on any attachment.
I understand Microsoft is going to finally plug the hole in its Office
applications that makes all this possible.
Steve
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May 19, 2000
New Bug Loose in Computers, Experts Say
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
[A] new virus is eating its way
through computers, and this one is smarter and more destructive than the
worldwide "Love Bug" plague that inspired it, experts say.
While the "Love Bug" was given away by the "ILOVEYOU" subject line
of the e-mails that carried it, the new virus changes subject lines every time
it is sent. It also destroys most of the files on the computers it infects.
"Each time the virus spreads, it mutates itself to evade detection,"
according to Symantec Corp., an anti-virus software maker in Cupertino,
Calif.
The virus was detected at several large companies late Thursday, said Dave
Perry, spokesman for another anti-virus software maker, Trend Micro Inc.
in Cupertino. At one company, 5,000 computers were infected, said Perry,
who would not identify any of the companies affected.
The subject line of an infected e-mail starts with "FW: " and includes the
name of a randomly chosen attachment from a previous e-mail on an
infected computer. The e-mail will have an attachment with the same name,
but ending in ".vbs."
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Stephen E. (Steve) Jones ,--_|\ Email: sejones@iinet.net.au
3 Hawker Avenue / Oz \ Web: http://www.iinet.net.au/~sejones
Warwick 6024 -> *_,--\_/ Phone: +61 8 9448 7439
Perth, Western Australia v "Test everything." (1 Thess. 5:21)
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