PACE-L Archives

Archiver > PACE > 2002-09 > 1032394540


From: "Roy Johnson" <>
Subject: Re: [PACE-L] Warning: A new virus?
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 19:15:54 -0500
References: <d0.2d2e3ac0.2ab6bdd9@aol.com>


Gordon and all--

My computer has been down for a week with a Klez virus even though (a) I had
Norton AntiVirus with AutoProtect enabled, and (b) I did not download or
open any attachments,and (c) I did note even open the files that contained
attachments, much less the attachments themselves.

One variety of Klez had developed the ability to invade your computer if you
(a) have the preview window open on Outlook Express, or (b) click "reply" to
try to ask the sender what was being sent. I know this because the virus
tried to get through several times when I just clicked on the file titleand
my Norton caught it and isolated it. However, one version was able to turn
off Nortun Auto Protect. I tried to run Norton Anti-Virus and do a complete
scan of my computer, and it crashed during the scan. I then downloaded the
Norton Klez Fix on the school.s computers, took it home, and ran it, and it
crashed, too.

It cost me $200 to have a technician restore my computer to normal.

So my recommendations are as follows:

1) If you have Outlook Express, click into the View menu, click Layout, and
uncheck the preview panel option.

2) If you receive an attachment that appears to be from someone you know but
that you were not expecting, DO NOT click "reply" to ask the person if he
sent it. Send a NEW MESSAGE to that person.

3) If you are sending an attachment to someone, send a "clean" e-mail first
letting the person know that you are sending it, and what the subject line
will be.

4) Back up your entire system. I thought I had a full backup (I use BACKUP
NOW! but there are other programs) but found I did not. I could have saved
at least half of the technician's fee if I had done this. On today's larger
hard drives, it requires a "CD burner" (read-write CD drive) and a program
like BACKUP NOW! that can write to those drives. It will take several CDs.

5) I keep my e-mail backed up by dragging the Outlook Express folder to a
second hard drive. You have to find it first. In Windows 2000, it is well
hidden, but if you want to know where it is, I can tell you. I restored all
my emails from Windows 98 when I upgraded to Windows 2000 by simply copying
this folder from my backup to the proper folder in Win2000. It's tricky,
but if you are interested, I can tell you how. this only applies to Outlook
Express users, but AOL usere could accomplish the same thing by copying all
AOL folders to a backup.

Because of my Norton, I thought I was safe, but I found out differently.

Roy Johnson
Just back online! What a week!






----- Original Message -----
From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, September 15, 2002 11:53 PM
Subject: [PACE-L] Warning: A new virus?


> I received an email today, supposedly sent by Bob Pace, President of the
Pace
> Society of America (). It contained an attachment
called
> "Backgroun.mime", with no description in the email of what the attachment
was.
> Although I did not open the attachment, I did download it. The result so
far
> is that all files in my directory, AOL, Download have been deleted. This
> consists of about 100 files that I have downloaded in the past two or
three
> years.
> This of course was not sent by Bob Pace. The perpetrator just used his
email
> address for the transmission.
> The point of this message is this: Never download an attachment from
anyone
> unless the content of the attachment is described in the body of the
email!!
> Aside from having up-to-date anti-virus software, this is the surest way
of
> avoiding contracting a virus.
> Also, viruses cannot be sent to the PACE Mail List, since the list does
not
> allow attachments.
> Gordon W. Pace
>
>
> ==== PACE Mailing List ====
> Check out the Pace GenConnect Boards where you can post or peruse Pace
Bibles, Obits, Bios, Deeds, Wills, Queries, etc. Bookmark this URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com
>

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