[LargeFormat] Viruses, Largeformat and Us

[Alan Davenport]

THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE OF INTEREST TO MEMBERS OF THIS LIST.

Today I got an email with an attachment.  It purported to be from
one "Largeformat Moderator <Largeformat-owner@jonathanharris.co.uk>"
with a subject of "Welcome to Largeformat."

I have not subscribed to any new lists lately.

I've been fairly confident that my antivirus program (Norton) is up
to snuff; it automatically updates itself every week.  The attachment
on today's email passed inspection by Norton and was just sitting there,
ready for me to click on it.

My virus definitions were dated 5/28/2003.

Now the first thing I want to say is, "I don't trust email attachments."
IF they come from someone I know (generally meaning one of the people
receiving this message from me) and IF the person TELLS ME there is
such and such an attachment, and IF it passes scrutiny by Norton, I
MIGHT consider opening an attachment.  Or not.

Today's came allegedly from an online discussion list that I subscribe
to.  That list doesn't send attachments, only text.  Red flag up!

Instead of opening the attachment, I updated my virus defs, then
scanned the folder where my emails reside.  Guess what?  Yup, it was
the newest rendition of the bugbear virus, a particularly nasty virus
that made the rounds a year or so back.  It's back with several new
variants.  The important point here is this:  a state of the art
antivirus program did not recognize this new variant of an old virus
until after I updated the definitions.

I have reconfigured Norton to update DAILY.  No, I'm not being too
paranoid.  If you are being less cautious, please reconsider.

U P D A T E   Y O U R   V I R U S   P R O G R A M

DO IT OFTEN.  THE COMPUTER YOU PROTECT MAY BE YOUR OWN.  OR MINE.


Alan Davenport
Carpe luminem: facio ingens aut ite domum!