From: alex <cealciex <at> ADINET <dot> COM <dot> UY>
Date: 11 nov 1999
Subject: RV: Virus Alert

----- Original Message -----
From: pot scrubber <mama_bear_98 <at> hotmail <dot> com>
Sent: Thursday, November 11, 1999 1:39 PM
Subject: Virus Alert


>
> > >
> > > SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _
> > > A dangerous new type of e-mail virus emerged on Tuesday, able to
destroy
> > > information on computers even when users are careful not to fully open
> >the
> > > messages. The virus, named after an episode of the TV show
``Seinfeld,''
> >was
> > > e-mailed late Monday to researchers at Network Associates, a computer
> > > security company in Santa Clara. The company put a free software patch
> > > capable of blocking the attack on their Web site Tuesday. ``This
ushers
> >in
> > > the next evolution in viruses. It breaks one of the long-standing
rules
> >that
> > > you have to open an e-mail attachment to become infected,'' said
Network
> > > Associates spokesman Sal Viveros. ``That's all changed now.'' The
> >company
> > > isn't certain who sent the virus, but researchers believed its threat
is
> >so
> > > serious that they notified the FBI on Tuesday, said Vincent Gullotto,
> > > director of the company's virus detection team. ``It could basically
> >disable
> > > your PC easily,'' Gullotto said. ``This could be a watershed.'' The
> >virus
> > > sent Monday night was more playful than destructive as it wormed its
way
> > > through a computer's hard drive, renaming the computer's registered
> >owner
> >as
> > > ``Bubbleboy'' and making other references to ``Seinfeld.'' It also
takes
> > > every address in a computer's e-mail program and passes the virus
along.
> >The
> > > same technology, when paired with previously known malicious commands,
> >could
> > > be used to steal personal information or erase a computer's hard drive
> > > entirely _ attacks that, given the history of hacker culture, Gullotto
> > > believes could appear within two to three months. ``This could be the
> > > catalyst,'' Gullotto said. ``While the Melissa virus was 'hell coming
to
> > > dinner,' we have reassessed that and know that something bigger,
meaner
> >and
> > > nastier is on it's way.'' The Melissa computer virus clogged e-mail
> >systems
> > > around the world when it hit in March, but many computer users were
able
> >to
> > > avoid trouble by deleting the e-mails without reading them. Like other
> >e-mail
> > > viruses, Melissa wreaked havoc only after users double-clicked an
> >attachment
> > > to the seemingly benign messages. ``Bubbleboy'' only requires that the
> >e-mail
> > > be previewed on the Inbox screen of Microsoft's Outlook Express, a
> >popular
> > > e-mail program. As soon as the e-mail is highlighted, without so much
as
> >a
> > > click of a mouse, it infects the computer. The virus affects computers
> >with
> > > Windows 98 and some versions of Windows 95 that also use Microsoft's
> >Internet
> > > Explorer 5.0 and Outlook Express Web browser and e-mail programs. It
> > > apparently does not affect Netscape's e-mail programs, Gullotto said.
> >Even
> > > without Network Associates' software patch, there is an easy fix.
> >Enabling
> > > Microsoft's highest-security filter will block such e-mails and keep
the
> > > virus from entering. Bill Pollak, a spokesman for the Computer
Emergency
> > > Response Team at Carnegie Mellon University, said his researchers
would
> >be
> > > looking out for the new type of virus. Researchers believe the virus,
> >which
> > > appears as a black screen with the words ``The Bubbleboy incident,
> >pictures
> > > and sounds'' in white letters, was sent by the same person who created
> > > another virus in July _ ``Freelink'' _ which forwarded e-mail with
links
> >to
> > > pornographic Web sites to stolen e-mail addresses.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > A software patch created to protect against the virus is available for
> >free
> > > at www.mcafee.com.
> > >
> >
> >
>
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