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Thread: zengrifter: I was KLEZED! anti-virus what?

  1. #1
    zengrifter
    Guest

    zengrifter: I was KLEZED! anti-virus what?

    My up to date PANDA didn't stop the KLEZ from slivering into my machine and sending out suspicious files to everyone on my address book - soon others were sending me worm messages - Bettie at RGE wormed me a message "check out my new game (insidious), etc.

    Anyway, my questions are -

    whtas the best anti-virus?

    when a infected file is discovered and cannot be deleted, why is it renamed?

    once renamed, is it still functional?

    if it is 'quarantined' is it still functional?

    thnaks in advance! zg

  2. #2
    Parker
    Guest

    Parker: Viruses

    > My up to date PANDA didn't stop the KLEZ
    > from slivering into my machine and sending
    > out suspicious files to everyone on my
    > address book - soon others were sending me
    > worm messages - Bettie at RGE wormed me a
    > message "check out my new game
    > (insidious), etc.

    Aha! You're the one! I had noticed that several of the viruses I received had your netzero address in the return path, but I didn't want to point any accusing fingers.

    You are aware, of course that the message you received wasn't really from Bettie. Viktor and I each got one that appeared to be from the other.

    I am surprised that Panda didn't catch it, as Panda AV is well-regarded. Do you have the software set to scan all e-mail? I would send Panda an e-mail, describing in as much detail as possible how you were infected.

    I am certainly no expert on anti-virus software. My own solution is to use a non-Windows operating system (Linux) in the computers that I use to handle all my e-mail. A virus written for Windows is totally non-functional in the Linux environment. The same is true for Macs.

    If anyone is interested in making the big leap to Linux, I would be happy to offer suggestions and assistance. It is not necessary to totally give up Windows.

    I will take a shot at your questions, but I encourage others to jump in with any additional information, comments, corrections, etc.

    > Anyway, my questions are -

    > whtas the best anti-virus?

    Norton and McAfee are the two most popular. Dr. Solomon and Panda are others. I personally use McAfee on my Windows box. The most important thing with any AV software is to update it frequently. Also, since new viruses are being developed every day, no AV software is 100% effective.

    The best ways to prevent virus infection are:

    1. Non-Windows operating system, such as Linux or Mac (almost totally effective, but radical).

    2. Do not use Outlook/Outlook Express for handling e-mail (this will not keep you from being infected, but it will keep you from spreading it).

    3. Never open any e-mail attachment unless it is something that you have requested someone to send you.

    An easy way to spot the virus is the file size. The typical virus-laden e-mail is 120-180 Kb, far larger than a normal e-mail. When you get one of these, the best thing to do is delete it without even opening it, even if it appears to be from someone you know.

    > when a infected file is discovered and
    > cannot be deleted, why is it renamed?

    The file extension is what tells Windows that the file is executable (that is, a program). Typical virus extensions might be .exe, .scr, .vbs, .bat. Once this is changed to something meaningless, the file then becomes harmless, just taking up space on your hard drive.

    > once renamed, is it still functional?

    No. Unless it is again renamed.

    > if it is 'quarantined' is it still
    > functional?

    I'm not sure exactly what the AV sofware does when it "quarantines" a virus. Anyone?

    > thnaks in advance! zg

  3. #3
    zengrifter
    Guest

    zengrifter: Re: Viruses

    > several of the viruses I received had your
    > netzero address in the return path, but I
    > didn't want to point any accusing fingers.

    > You are aware, of course that the message
    > you received wasn't really from Bettie.
    > Viktor and I each got one that appeared to
    > be from the other.

    Yes, I'm THE ONE! Anyway, I had thought that those messages DID come from Bettie, Lynnea, etc. (infected outlooks) - if not, where were they sent from?? Directly from the server? Worms and viruses writtwen for Windows don't affect non-Windows... wow! One of the legitimate notices I received referred me to Trend Micro @ http://www.antivirus.com/ this is what I now use. zg



  4. #4
    Parker
    Guest

    Parker: Re: Viruses

    > Yes, I'm THE ONE! Anyway, I had thought that
    > those messages DID come from Bettie, Lynnea,
    > etc. (infected outlooks) - if not, where
    > were they sent from?? Directly from the
    > server?

    They could come from any infected computer with that address in its address book - you could even receive one sent by your own infected computer. Judging from the number of them that I have received in the last week or so, I believe that several members of the "advantage player community" (whatever that is) have infected computers.

    > Worms and viruses written for
    > Windows don't affect non-Windows... wow!

    That is absolutely correct. I laugh at viruses. Furthermore, Linux was developed from the beginning as a multi-user networking system, so it does not have the gaping security holes that are inherent to Windows. Even if some hacker were to try to develop a Linux virus, it would be extremely difficult to come up with anytbing capable of getting past system security and doing any damage.

    Did I mention that my Linux system never crashes?

    Never.

    The latest Mac operating system (OS-X) is Unix-based, similar to Linux, so I imagine that it would have an equivalent degree of security.

    > One of the legitimate notices I received
    > referred me to Trend Micro @
    > http://www.antivirus.com/ this is what I now
    > use. zg

    True. PC-cillin is another excellent anti-virus program.

    I certainly hope you have gotten that computer of yours innoculated!

    At the very least, consider using an e-mail client other than Outloook.

  5. #5
    zengrifter
    Guest

    zengrifter: Re: Viruses

    > At the very least, consider using an e-mail
    > client other than Outloook.

    For Windows, what is a better email client? I used Eudora for a time and liked it, though I never liked AOL filecabnet or Netscape browser email or web-based mail in general.

  6. #6
    Parker
    Guest

    Parker: E-mail clients

    > For Windows, what is a better email client?
    > I used Eudora for a time and liked it,
    > though I never liked AOL filecabnet or
    > Netscape browser email or web-based mail in
    > general.

    Eudora is an excellent e-mail client. The free version is adequate for most people, if you don't mind an ad panel, and the purchase version has a host of features.

    Pegasus is the granddaddy of e-mail clients, having been around since the early days of DOS.Its developer has kept it updated. I used it back then and still use it on my Windows box. It is completely free, with no ads. The interface is considerably different than Outlook, and takes a bit of getting used to, but I like it a lot. You can download it at www.pmail.com

    The Opera web browser comes with a pretty serviceable e-mail client. Like Eudora, there is a free version with an ad panel, or you can pay a fee and lose the ads. However, with Opera you can get rid of the ads in the free version by running in full-screen mode (F11).

    As a bonus, you may find that you like the Opera browser a lot, too. It is faster than Explorer or Netscape, and has some unique features.

    You say you don't like the Netscape browser, but have you looked at it lately? While it used to have some rather glaring shortcomings (like not being able to handle multiple accounts), recent versions are much improved. It's worth a look, especially since it too is free.

    So there are 4 choices: Eudora, Pegasus, Opera, and Netscape. All are free, or at least have free versions. All will do a capable job of downloading and handling your e-mail. All will handle multiple accounts, and all have filtering capabilities for sorting mail and reducing spam.

    Since they all will get the job done, I really cannot say which one is best - it is largely a matter of personal preference.

    The nice thing is that, being free, you can download them all and decide for yourself.

  7. #7
    CarlS
    Guest

    CarlS: Klez removal tool


    Symantic has a klex removal tool available on their website:

    http://securityresponse.symantec.com...oval.tool.html

    I recommend running it on your computer to make sure any infected files are cleaned.

    -Carl




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