Virus Alert

05/04/00 - I Love You - Love Letter Virus 
A new strain of virus is permeating the Internet even as you read this message. This virus attacks Windows computers which use Outlook Express as the mail client, and executes malicious code ****without opening an attachment. Merely by reading an infected message you can spread the virus to your computer and many others, without your knowledge. This virus is similiar to the 'Kak-worm' virus, and is only one of the first to come of this new strain. In our own testing lab, here at Quik Internet, we have discovered that possibly all strains of this new virus can be avoided by performing these simple steps: 

1. Open Start>Settings>Control Panel>Internet Options (or 'Internet Tools') 
2. Select the 'Security' tab at the top of the configuration window. 
3. Select the button, 'Custom level'. 
4. Scroll down the list of options until you see 'Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting', and select to 'Disable' this option. Click 'OK'. 

After performing these steps, if you receive a virus of this particular strain, you should see an error message, that indicates that an ActiveX control in the message is unsafe, and won't be run. You should then alert the person who sent you the email that they have the virus, and forward this message to them for removal and preventative maintenance. 

If you already have the virus, you should follow this link, to find out more detailed information, and removal procedures from icsa.net: 
http://www.icsa.net/html/press_related/2000/05_04_00_loveletter.shtml
 

This virus is no a hoax, and is malevolent to computer systems. You should protect yourself immediately from this new threat, and take steps to ensure you are not already infected.

04/19/00 You may have the Kakworm virus
We have seen widespread infections of computers with the new insidious virus, the 'Kakworm'. This is the first wild strain of a new type of virus which can infect your computer without running or opening an attachment. The virus spreads itself by attaching to emails sent out by you as an ActiveX control, embedded in the email. Protect yourself now, or remove this virus from your system with the following links:
Microsoft Kakworm virus patch:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms99-032.asp
Symantec manual removal procedures:
http://www.sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/wscript.kakworm.html

It is also notable that you may be able to prevent catching the virus by setting your Internet security configuration in Control Panel to not run ActiveX content automatically.

11/15/99 Bubbleboy Infects By Reading Email
Up until now, the general rule was that you could not be infected by a virus sent to you in email, unless you executed an attached program. The Bubbleboy virus has changed that. This new type of virus can infect your computer even if you only read the email messsage that carries it. This virus has so far not been detected in any known computer systems outside of it's test environments, save for one Japanese web site which was apparently infected, but has been inoculated. Following is an article found on the 'Call For Help' web site of Ziff-Davis Television:

Beware of Bubbleboy
By Michelle Von Wald
This recently detected virus is named after a character in a Seinfeld episode, but it isn't too funny. Unlike most viruses that pop up each day, this is noteworthy because it is the first time you can become infected just by reading your email. It negates previous advice that you could only be contaminated by opening email attachments. Bubbleboy changes this.
The virus was sent anonymously to an antivirus software firm and is not in the wild. This means that users have not complained about it infecting their computers.
The good news is that it doesn't work if you have all of the latest Windows updates. The critical patch is the ActiveX Eyedog, which updates for security vulnerabilities.
Follow these steps to update Windows 98:

  1. Open Internet Explorer
  2. Go to Tools
  3. Go to Windows Update
  4. Check all security patches listed under critical updates

Windows 3x/9x/NT users can get information and patch download links at the Microsoft site. Download the necessary Microsoft patch directly. It's called "Update for "scriptlet.typelib/Eyedog Vulnerability."
We recommend downloading the latest Norton Antivirus 2000. It automatically scans for any email viral threat.
This virus does not affect Macs.
Here is a link to more information about this virus, from  ZDTV Cybercrime News:

http://www.zdnet.com/zdtv/cybercrime/news/story/0,3700,2391415,00.html