Recognise this virus?
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 1,274
Likes: 0
From: Glen Prosen, Scotland
Recognise this virus?
My computer appears to have been infected with a virus that, whenever I try to use a desktop link, asks if I want to send it to the recycle bin. It has other effects as well but is not detected by the antivirus stuff I'm running (Bitdefender from the cover disc of a magazine). Does anyone recognise it and know how to get rid of it?
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,003
Likes: 0
From: Geriatrica, UK
I haven't heard of this problem but I've got one that is very similar.
On the "Desktop" of a laptop running Win 2000 with SP3 there is an "htm" document that appears to consist only of the text in the title which is about 70 characters long. It has the default IE icon.
Whenever I try to delete it, an error message says that Explorer is now going to be shut down. The Desktop quickly reloads and all is well. I can see the properties (normal) but cannot change them. If I try to move the icon, the error message reappears and the Desktop reloads.
If I double-click to try to open the "document" in IE, I get the same result.
There were the remains of a neutralised "bugbear" virus in the Temporary Internet Files (as is normal) and they have been deleted.
So I'm flumoxed. Maybe these problems are related.
On the "Desktop" of a laptop running Win 2000 with SP3 there is an "htm" document that appears to consist only of the text in the title which is about 70 characters long. It has the default IE icon.
Whenever I try to delete it, an error message says that Explorer is now going to be shut down. The Desktop quickly reloads and all is well. I can see the properties (normal) but cannot change them. If I try to move the icon, the error message reappears and the Desktop reloads.
If I double-click to try to open the "document" in IE, I get the same result.
There were the remains of a neutralised "bugbear" virus in the Temporary Internet Files (as is normal) and they have been deleted.
So I'm flumoxed. Maybe these problems are related.
Supercalifragilistic
expialidocious
expialidocious
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 589
Likes: 0
From: Essex, UK
A suggestion.
Hi DB6,
Firstly any anti virus software is only any use if its bang upto date, in the office we update at least daily.
If it is not up to date it gives you a false sense of security - in a way you are better with no AV rather than an out of date AV pack as at least then you assume everything is infected!
Ok now a suggestion visit www.sophos.co.uk or www.sophos.com
Register for a free trial and then follow the instructions to check for viri then disinfect. I think on a trial you can even call tech support - open 24 / 7.
Sophos is not the cheapest ( I think about £80 per year) - but it works, it won't even let you open an infected file, email or web page.
Good luck!
P.S. Moderators - am I breaking the rules by naming the product?
After you get rid of the virus windowsupdate.com and download all the latest bug fixes for windows, outlook / outlook express etc. (Assuming that you do not already do this! - excuse me if you do!)
This will close a lot of the security holes that let the viri infect your machine and spread to other machines.
It also means you need to sign all sorts of new (nasty!) user agreements.
Firstly any anti virus software is only any use if its bang upto date, in the office we update at least daily.
If it is not up to date it gives you a false sense of security - in a way you are better with no AV rather than an out of date AV pack as at least then you assume everything is infected!
Ok now a suggestion visit www.sophos.co.uk or www.sophos.com
Register for a free trial and then follow the instructions to check for viri then disinfect. I think on a trial you can even call tech support - open 24 / 7.
Sophos is not the cheapest ( I think about £80 per year) - but it works, it won't even let you open an infected file, email or web page.
Good luck!
P.S. Moderators - am I breaking the rules by naming the product?
After you get rid of the virus windowsupdate.com and download all the latest bug fixes for windows, outlook / outlook express etc. (Assuming that you do not already do this! - excuse me if you do!)
This will close a lot of the security holes that let the viri infect your machine and spread to other machines.
It also means you need to sign all sorts of new (nasty!) user agreements.
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 1,274
Likes: 0
From: Glen Prosen, Scotland
Thanks for the tips. In the event the damage was more serious than I at first thought, or it was progressive, since it got to the stage where I had to format the old hard disc (again). I think the virus actually renamed the C drive with some odd characters so nothing could access it.
It was a bit strange that for about a year I had run with no antivirus protection with no discernable ill effects but within 3 days of installing this stuff - ostensibly up-to-date - it was totally f**ck*d. Hmmm.
Oh, to know where the bastard lives that wrote it!
It was a bit strange that for about a year I had run with no antivirus protection with no discernable ill effects but within 3 days of installing this stuff - ostensibly up-to-date - it was totally f**ck*d. Hmmm.
Oh, to know where the bastard lives that wrote it!
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
From: UK
I have received 2 virus laden e-mails this week, luckily my AV software snagged both of them before they could do any damage. On both occasions the subject line was along the lines of : " This is a Windows XP patch, I thought you might want it".
Is this too easy a solution, but why don't the ISP's scan your e-mails before they send them on ? Surely this would be to everybodies benefit. If I was given the option of having my e-mails scanned whilst they where sitting in my ISP's server prior to me 'picking them up' I would go for it. Somebody like a large organisation like BTopenworld could probably afford to get AV software from all the major AV software developers and use them all at the same time to cover all angles.
I'm no computer expert so maybe my thoughts are a bit too simplistic and Naive ?
Is this too easy a solution, but why don't the ISP's scan your e-mails before they send them on ? Surely this would be to everybodies benefit. If I was given the option of having my e-mails scanned whilst they where sitting in my ISP's server prior to me 'picking them up' I would go for it. Somebody like a large organisation like BTopenworld could probably afford to get AV software from all the major AV software developers and use them all at the same time to cover all angles.
I'm no computer expert so maybe my thoughts are a bit too simplistic and Naive ?
Joined: Sep 1998
Posts: 513
Likes: 0
From: Sydney, Australia
ISP scans email
Mine does, KP, but it's on the other side of the world from you.
Others might be interested, though.
www.pacific.net.au
It is a Singaporean company and may have branches in other countries - I have not bothered to look.
I cannot recommend them highly enough. They are big, but personal, prepared to make special arrangements to suit individuals.
They put our national telco to shame.
AA
Others might be interested, though.
www.pacific.net.au
It is a Singaporean company and may have branches in other countries - I have not bothered to look.
I cannot recommend them highly enough. They are big, but personal, prepared to make special arrangements to suit individuals.
They put our national telco to shame.
AA
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,003
Likes: 0
From: Geriatrica, UK
BT OpenWorld do now scan e-mails for Viruses and Spam.
I've just signed up for the new free scheme.
The snag is that it works on your incoming e-mail in the Web mail stage. So if you want to check on what goes into your Spam Folder, you must go to the Web Mail address to check it. Just like Hotmail. You can't check it using OE.
It's seems to be part of the BT campaign to offload some of their Server Based e-mails. Similarly, when I recently decided to go Broadband, they were very persuasive about the new "BT.Com/broadband" which, at first sight to the uninitiated, seems the logical step to take. Not so. if you have BTInternet/BTOpenworld e-mail addressees.
If you go BT.Com/broadband, you have to pay BTOpenworld (or some other ISP) to keep your e-mail addresses.
I've just signed up for the new free scheme.
The snag is that it works on your incoming e-mail in the Web mail stage. So if you want to check on what goes into your Spam Folder, you must go to the Web Mail address to check it. Just like Hotmail. You can't check it using OE.
It's seems to be part of the BT campaign to offload some of their Server Based e-mails. Similarly, when I recently decided to go Broadband, they were very persuasive about the new "BT.Com/broadband" which, at first sight to the uninitiated, seems the logical step to take. Not so. if you have BTInternet/BTOpenworld e-mail addressees.
If you go BT.Com/broadband, you have to pay BTOpenworld (or some other ISP) to keep your e-mail addresses.
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 448
Likes: 0
From: London, UK
KwikPhix,
It's all down to cost. We'll assume that a big ISP will get a good deal on the software, but it still takes a lot of CPU, disk bandwidth and memory to scan large amounts of email for viruses, all of which has to be bought and kept running. IPSs are as cost conscious as any other business and will have to way up the PR benefits from doing it with the very real costs...
Is this too easy a solution, but why don't the ISP's scan your e-mails before they send them on ? Surely this would be to everybodies benefit. If I was given the option of having my e-mails scanned whilst they where sitting in my ISP's server prior to me 'picking them up' I would go for it. Somebody like a large organisation like BTopenworld could probably afford to get AV software from all the major AV software developers and use them all at the same time to cover all angles.
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
From: UK
Ha, Ha, ha, as if by magic...
I logged on this morning , checked my e-mails and there was a 'free' offer off btinternet/openworld to subscribe to the system fobotsco talked about. Apparently it will scan all of my incoming for Virus' and spam before i pick it up using OE. I wonder how long it will be before they get you dependant on the system (once they've ironed out a the glitches) and then you have to pay a 'small additional fee' for the service, followed by incremental price rises over a short period of time. Perhaps I'm being a bit too cynical, but now my BT ' ANYTIME 'subscription is now actually BT150 hours pcm i always expect the worst. I will admit though, my connection and service with BT Internet has been rock solid, with no glitches whatsoever for weeks ,maybe even months, now. we shall see
Supercalifragilistic
expialidocious
expialidocious
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 589
Likes: 0
From: Essex, UK
ISP scanning
The problem with letting your ISP decide what spam is, is that you don't know how they set the filters, if you did so would the spammers and they would work round it, hence you don't know what you have not been allowed to have.
Not a problem until a contact you want to here from inadvertantly posts with a subject line your ISP filters, or emails from an ISP with a spam problem so gets onto a black hole list.
The real answer is to have more than one email account. Use a web based free account for anything likley to generate spam for example news group posts, competition entries etc. And keep your real email addy for genuine contacts / business.
Or use a human readable only email address to confuse mail harvesting programmes
e.g.
your dot name at yourisp dot com
instead of
[email protected]
Not a problem until a contact you want to here from inadvertantly posts with a subject line your ISP filters, or emails from an ISP with a spam problem so gets onto a black hole list.
The real answer is to have more than one email account. Use a web based free account for anything likley to generate spam for example news group posts, competition entries etc. And keep your real email addy for genuine contacts / business.
Or use a human readable only email address to confuse mail harvesting programmes
e.g.
your dot name at yourisp dot com
instead of
[email protected]
