Computer Virus - Watch Out

Please read the following article from a newspaper. I've already received such emails (4 X) before the article came out.
If you see something like it, delete it and empty your trash. It's a bad worm.

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Beware new computer worm. Bogus email looks like FBI document - Spreads to contacts in address book

Nov. 24, 2005. 01:17 PM

ARSHAD MOHAMMED AND BRIAN KREBS
WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON—It's being called the worst computer worm of the year — a fast-spreading Internet threat that looks like an official email from the CIA or FBI but can leave your computer wide open to intruders.

The bogus email claims the U.S. government has discovered you visiting "illegal" websites and asks you to open an attachment to answer some official questions. If you do, your computer gets infected with malware that can disable security and firewall programs and blast out similar emails to contacts in your address book.

It can also keep you from getting to computer security websites that might help fix the problem, and it may open your Windows computer to intruders who can steal personal data.

The worm — named Sober X — has spread so far so fast that the CIA and the FBI put prominent warnings on their websites making clear they did not send out the email and urging people not to open the attachment.

Across the Atlantic, Austria's equivalent of the FBI is investigating a flurry of similar emails sent in its name to people in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, Associated Press reported.

"This particular virus is a mass-mailer worm and is the largest one we have seen this year," said Alfred Huger, senior director of engineering at Symantec Corp., which sells Norton AntiVirus software.

"It's as bad as it gets," says Huger. "With this particular type of virus on your system, there is a high probability that your personal information will be stolen."

Craig Schmugar, a virus-research manager at McAfee Inc.'s AVERT Labs, said his company, which also makes anti-virus software, had logged more than 73,000 consumer computers reporting detection since the worm was discovered Monday.

British email security company MessageLabs Ltd. said it has intercepted more than 2.7 million copies of Sober and its variants, noting that "the size of the attack indicates that this is a major offensive. ..."

Still, the Sober worm was listed as only a "medium-risk" worm by security companies, which noted it was not as widespread as others in recent years, notably last year's MyDoom.

Sober is known to only affect computers with the Windows operating system. It appears that Apple and Linux computer users were not affected.

The email informs the recipient that the user's "IP-address'' has accessed more than 30 illegal websites and that the attachment contains a list of questions that need to be answered. The email also includes an authentic phone number for the FBI or CIA, which has kept their switchboards busy.

Thanks. My earthlink has already blocked and removed this from 2 of my emails today... and many from the months recent. My Mcafee prevents it also... if you're updated. There is another worm being sent... can't recall the name of it... also very recently tried to infest my computer (last night or so) but also blocked by earthlink (my ISP)...

it's interesting how well they phrase the subjects lines that just make you crave opening the email, isn't it? nah don't bite that apple.. hehehe

Thanks for posting this... and it begs a reminder... never ever ever ever open ANY attachment unless you both know WHO it came from and THAT they sent it... and even sometimes that won't be safe if someone passes something along that they don't know is a virus.

Before things got crazy with the internet, I used to run without antivirus software and I never had a single virus on any of my machines. So being careful is the first line of defense. I do use good protection software now because the viruses are so rampant and one false click when I'm not paying attention could infect me.

it's interesting how well they phrase the subjects lines that just make you crave opening the email,

It is, and also how professional they make the emails look. I get lots of email from "banks" asking me to log in and update my account and password. These are ALWAYS people scamming to get your info. A bank will NEVER ask for your password except when you are actually logging into their site. The sites that they create to get the data look like exact duplicates of the banks' real sites. Sometimes the scammers even register a domain name that is very similar to the bank's name so that if you check the address you think you are really at the bank's website.

So, like Sky said, don't bite that apple! (Or "open that window" for PC users )

I got that email also. I also have been getting a lot of mailer-daemon things in my email and I haven't actually sent an email in about 2 weeks. I read them delete them and go from there. I think someone trolling somewhere got my email addy and password or something so I guess its about time to change again. *sigh*

Jbug

Don't bite that POISON apple......for sure. I was amazed that after only 2 weeks of owning my computer & sending it in for checking out what was messing around with my home phone line (turned out it was a short in my home phone line & not the computer), they found a Trojen virus in it (after only 2 weeks).

It is good that you pointed out this information....you just can't be too careful anymore. I will be taking my computer in soon to have some work done on it due to normal wear (thank heavens for the 3 year warrenty I bought). I wouldn't be surprised at what they find after all this time......no matter how careful I have tried to be.

It is hard not to be a sucker for some of the things that sound so honest.....but I now have the phylosophy....."don't trust anything". Sad but true.

Thanks for the warning......so far, I haven't encountered this situation yet.
Debbie

I don't open anything that isn't sent by my friends. My friends all know not to send me attachments. instead they send me forwards. that way I don't open anything that has a virus. Top that off my yahoo and aol email accounts both have virus protection. Yahoo scans and WILL NOT allow an email with a virus to be opened before it is cleaned. for example in my bulk file I keep getting emails that say things like "re: and a number" those ALWAYS contain a virus and cannot be opened. I also recieve "your account is overdrawn please take steps now to correct this" in the subject line. Well I deal directly with my bank across the street from me and they know why my account gets overdrawn when it does and I have overdraft protection on my account so I already know those type emails are open and get virus or spyware trouble. Basically if the sender isn't on my address book I don't even try to open the email to see what they want me to open as an attachment. I also use McAfee virus, spyware, firewall and spam protection. McAfee is great notifies me right away when it finds anything and runs automatic scans weekly and I can also manually acitivate a scan on ALL my computer files. It also keeps track of any other computers trying to hack into my computer, blocks and locates the hacker so that I can decide if I know that person and allow them access or not.

I protect my files with free encryption software from this site: http://www.abisoft.net/bd.html, nothing and I mean nothing will be able to access your files once they are encrypted, it is free encryption software that uses 448 bit Blowfish encryption algorithm. And there is no spy ware threat when you download this from the site.

On top of that I use AVG7 free anti virus software http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/ ( scroll down the page and click on free link) backed up with norton2005 anti virus with firewall protection, which I configured to block all ip ports I don’t use to stop people from remote accessing my pc whilst online, all are configured to automatically update daily or when a new virus is released to protect my files, next I have spy sweeper, name says it all, gets loads of spy ware that most browsers miss, bt yahoo also has browser spy ware installed but is rubbish, spybot is good for removing malicious software from downloadable sites but can mess with your cookies if not configured properly, try this link http://www.vnunet.com/downloads/ for more free software including free firewalls, antivirus the list is endless.

all my email accounts are virus scanned automatically before they are accessed by me and attachments removed, I never open emails from people I don’t know, when setting up the pc I put NO personal details at all in the pc and I don’t have a bank account so no credit card details are used, and when I buy of ebay I use money orders or cash to pay for my items.

But most important thing I do is I have automatic updates turned ON from Microsoft to download patches automatically for the software when a threat is identified by them.

to say i am paraniod is an understatement but it is not often i get hit with viruses, and when i do i am well prepared to say the least lol.

i trick i have learned from getting viruses before is to bookmark or save to favorites sites that can remove malicious software for example http://securityresponse.symantec.com...ools.list.html lists all the malignant software removal tools and you are only a click away to save your files. and it is also free!!! enjoy.

mac computers not a risk?