When was the last time you updated your virus protection?

I bet it's been too long...

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 by TN Brat! | Discussion: Living in Cyberspace

Hey, everyone. I just wanted to remind you all to update your virus software!

About a year ago I got a new computer and it came with Norton Anti Virus and Norton Personal Firewall. Well, I installed them both, but haven't ever done any updating of the virus part, though I use the firewall a lot...came in really handy when I installed Morpheus, because it allowed me to not have to allow access to the "other" software...anyway I've never run a full system scan or done any of the live updates or anything, until I got the email from "Martin" the other day.

Ok, real fast, I'm going to continue to say the email was from Martin even though it isn't actually from him, ok? Just for reference purposes...

So, I had a computer crash a few weeks ago and when I finally got things all up and running I needed to update my Stardock software, so I headed over to the site and clicked in my email address so they could send me information and the links to update things, and there was some sort of problem, so I took a screen shot and sent it to tech support. The thing is the email address Stardock has for me and the email address I sent the screen shot from aren't the same, so I wasn't sure how or where they'd respond, but a day or so later, I got a response, and then right after that I got 2 more emails one from Martin and one from my mail box alias to my primary email address...Now at this point I'm thinking that the one from Martin was actually from him to help with the problem, but it wasn't! Nope, they were spoof emails... both with nasty little attachments, but didn't know it at the time, I clicked on the attachment and saved it right to my desktop....How dumb can one person be? (Yeah, well be nice)

I've never gotten a virus before and thought I was careful enough...I've got Thunderbird set up to filter junk and my ISP also has built in virus protection so I was covered, right? I mean it happens to other people, not me.

Well I was wrong, and my pc started acting really funny and it dawned on me OMG, I just opened a strange file that didn't do anything....I tried to connect to the net with no success, and several of my programs stopped working, so thanks to Windows XP, I ran a System Restore, rebooted and I was back up and running...things were fine and I put it out of my mind??? Am I getting more stupid? I just went on with my business, until I opened my mail box and the same 2 emails appeared again, which is when I deleted them ran Live Update and came here to see if I could reach Martin.

When I posted in the boards Link Hippy informed me it was spoof emails that I was receiving. So at this point I opened Norton and went about the process of updating my software, and thank goodness I did, because tonight I got another...

I use a docklet to preview my email before I open it in Thunderbird, saw that there was another email from Martin, and figured right away it was another spoof...I would have deleted it from my server before I opened Thunderbird using the docklet, but doing that in the past has really messed up my email...it never deletes the right email so like I think I got a permission from Mormegil to release my Toon Tabs, but deleted it and can't get him to respond again...LOL So I didn't want to loose the other emails...I made sure Norton was updated and running and opened Thunderbird.

This link is to a screen shot of what followed...
Linkxxxxx

The point of this?

It CAN happen to me...and YOU. Pay very close attention to the email that you receive. And also wanted to remind everyone to update their virus software...If you don't have any, I recommend Norton, which I would have never done before, because it's never done anything other than annoy me with the constant reminders to update...LOL

Thanks to Hippy for responding to my post and letting me know what the deal was!

21 Reply 15 Referrals
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Bebi Bulma
Reply #1 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 3:31 AM
My norton is set to automatically get the updates (the virus definitions), and it just updated a few minutes ago. I've learned that if I don't have the program do it automatically, I'd never manually update it myself (same happened for windows update back when I was running 98se).

rokknroll
Reply #2 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 4:48 AM
its the damndest thing, all that "make sure you update regularly" advice. You would think they just made it all up to get money from you...

ParaTed2k
Reply #3 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 5:56 AM
I have the ultimate protection against viruses. It's cheap, user friendly and never needs updating...

I never go online without a condom on my modem!! ;~D

Alternate Setting
Reply #4 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 6:06 AM
I noticed you got one of the W32 varieties.

I ran a System Restore, rebooted and I was back up and running...things were fine and I put it out of my mind???


I'm sure you've already had some great advice from those more qualified than myself. But just to double check - did you turn off system restore when disinfecting ? Its just that depending on the point of infection you can inadvertently store the virus for release at a later point.

Jafo
Reply #5 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 6:08 AM

TN Brat! ... it'd be appropriate to remove the screenshot on DA as it shows a private email addy...

I removed the link from here.


RomanDA
Reply #6 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 6:46 AM
Lets see.. Download AVG FREE, set it to check every day, and do a scan at night, then get the new MS Anti-Spy have it check every night, and use its "real-time" protection, and i have not had anything hit me in weeks, that was not caught by one of the above, before it could do anything.

But i do like the condom idea, my question is, if you use a ruber condom how does the electronic signals for the internet get thru? or does it have a "virus detection program built into the coating?" Maybe its has an anti-virual coating. Do they have ones that glow in the dark?

butch123
Reply #7 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 6:52 AM
My norton is set to automatically get the updates always safe this way..

_02
Reply #8 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 6:58 AM
I have been using AVG Pro for years. I have never got a virus while using it. I update everyday. However, even though my updates were always current with Norton, I still got a few virus's. Norton is way over rated and not worth the money. It also takes up mega mega bites in memory. Even the free version of AVG is better than Norton. May I also suggest buying Zone Alarm Pro. It is rated best in Firewalls and uses alot less resources. They both will update automatically as well!

http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_avg_index.php


Email

Koasati
Reply #9 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 8:32 AM
I never update my virus software........... my anti-virus software receives automatic updates 2 or 3 times a day. But it seldom has much else to do other than update. (Once, about 3 months ago, it caught a website trying to install a trojan) I have found the best anti-virus protection is common sense, and I keep the AV running just in case mine laspes..

lilstarfish
Reply #10 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 9:44 AM
I don't have any Anti Virus software installed.

Should I notice that something strange is going on,
like Kerio starting to ask questions about odd files,
I head over to trendmicro.com and let their online
scanner lose on my system.

Apart from that, using SpyBot SD and it's protections for
IE and the system, and AdAware SE regularly keeps my systems
safe and sound.

Oh yeah, and emails from addresses I don't recognize are
never opened but gets binned without pardon.

TN Brat!
Reply #11 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 1:36 PM
Jafo, sorry, but I didn't think that was a real address? Your're refering to Martin's, right? I figured that it wasn't his email because I was receiving junk from it, that someone made it up....and I would have thought he would have said something by now about the whole thing, so I just figured the email in the screen shot was a spoof email. I remove the email address from the screen shot, but the point of the screen shot is for others to know what to look for and personally I'll never accept anything from that email address again...And to be honest others should be careful about it too, which is the whole point of all of this, to warn others
Link

Jafo
Reply #12 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 6:32 PM

TN Brat! ... the addresses will be real....they just won't be the actual origin of the email.

Example,  I received a few recently from Frogboy's address...and I know it was a correct one.

I also know he didn't send them [obviously].  That's the whole point of the virus...to fool you.

Anyone else getting the same 'mailout' that you did could likely receive different 'source' addys anyway...


Fuzzy Logic
Reply #13 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 7:13 PM
If you go online without a condom you know what to expect

eieio
Reply #14 Tuesday, February 1, 2005 10:10 PM
About once a week or so, I get an email addressed from myself. Usually with some important! file attached (actually it has usually already been stripped by my mail server) that I must read immediately.

I'm getting this mental image of myself sleepwalking and sending myself a virus.

... or is it sleep computing?

TN Brat!
Reply #15 Wednesday, February 2, 2005 10:52 AM
Bebi Bulma, mine does it automatically too, but when it would ask if I wanted to update my virus def software I always told it to remind me in 14 days...And my point is that while most software does update by itself, sometimes people don't go though all the steps because they are busy with something else...
Citizen rokknroll, to be honest I sort of figured that they did pretty much do the reminders so they could get me to buy something else...lol
Citizen ParaTed2k,...LOL
Citizen The Journeyman, thanks, yes I made sure it's not stored so I can restore it later.
Citizen lilstarfish, my problem was that I not only was expecting something from Stardock, but that I had also exchanged email with Martin before so I did reconize the addy...
Jafo, I guess I just don't get how in the world someone can send a virus through someone elses's email...Obviously it happens, but I'd have figured that the virus sender would have had access to the email soruce...
pictoratus, that's another thing I don't get beacue I too got an email from me to me.

What I'd like to know is how it got started...did Martin catch something and then it got to me? Or did I just leave my email in the wrong place, and then someone picked it up and sent me that crap? It just doesn't click in my head, because I've never ever gotten anything like that before..And I've been on line for at least 10 years. Once I was surfing the web and somehow got something nasty, but that way years ago, which is why I guess I thought that something like this couldn't happen to me. Not that this was a big deal, but it did open my eyes, because before I never worried about any viruses or worms or anything, even when there were warnings all over the web about such things...I just ignored it all, ya know?

Koasati
Reply #16 Wednesday, February 2, 2005 11:57 AM
What I'd like to know is how it got started

Someone's computer gets infected with a virus. The virus reads the address book, and uses the addresses to send emails, and at the same time it uses the same addresses to "spoof" the sender. The sender usually isn't infected at all..... it's someone else that has you both in the address book, or since you admit you haven't been paying attention,or updating your AV, it may have been from yourself.


JamMeister33
Reply #17 Wednesday, February 2, 2005 12:41 PM
In this day and age anyone who does not have adequate virus protection and a firewall installed is just asking for problems. No matter how careful you are you are still going to come across nasties at some point and you need to have your pc protected properly!

Jafo
Reply #18 Wednesday, February 2, 2005 3:34 PM

Most times the sender who appears to be the source of the email is NOT infected.

A third party is...and he has perhaps both email addy's...yours and martin's.

This is an extremely common situation/method of transmitting virii.....it's surprising you haven't been caught sooner.

Anyone frequently online is guaranteed to be hit.....one way or another and the only 'solution' is to be overly cautous about ANY and ALL unsolicited email and its attachments....

NEVER open ANYTHING unless you are expecting it....and even then scan it.


Corky_O
Reply #19 Wednesday, February 2, 2005 7:01 PM
Hmmm.

Firewall + AV + Automatic Updates + common sense = reasonable security from viruses and other nasties.

I think I took that class too.

paxx
Reply #20 Friday, February 4, 2005 7:32 PM
TN Brat, the those virus-infected emails never REALLY comes from the email address that is shown in the "from" box. Here's how the virii work: They infect a computer then look at the address book on that computer, pick an address in the lot, and send a virus-infected email from that email address to everybody else on the address book. Some virii even look at the Internet cache (Temporary Internet Files) and scan the recently visited pages for what looks like email addresses and send the nasty email to these as well. In sort, when you receive a virus from somebody, most likely than not, he's not the one really infected by the virus but he happens to be on the address book of somebody else who is infected.

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