Originally posted by Gollnick
Please be sure to forward information about your situation to your local police and the FBI.
I kid you not. What has happened here is a federal crime.
If someone broke into your office by kicking down a door and set fire to your files, you would recognize that as a crime and call the authorities. The method of entry and the method of destruction used here are different, but the result is the same.
While I agree that it is a crime and should be treated as such, the fact remains that most virus "attacks" are still the result of sloppy computing practices by users. No virus magically downloads itself to your harddrive without your knowledge. The user might not have recognized it for what it was, but it was still permitted by the user. Do you leave your home or place of business and leave the doors unlocked or wide open? Do you leave large amounts of cash sitting in the open? People do the equivalent with their computers every day.
Finally, please also complain to Microsoft. Virus are possible because of flaws and inadequacies in Microsoft's slopware.
No, viruses are possible because of sloppy user habits. Even the worst offender, Outlook, requires the user to do something unwise such as running that executable or installing that screensaver without a quick scan with Norton, Mcafee, etc.
People spend more time learning how to run their DVD players than their PCs. They're not as simple as toasters yet, don't try to pretend they are. I've been on the Internet for 7 years now and was BBSing for 3 years prior to that. I can count on one hand the number of viruses I've infected my computer with (all were macro virii except for one I got in my Univ's comp lab). I can count on one finger the number of times I lost data.
Some Rules to live by:
1. Delete any mail when you either do not recognize the sender or subject.
2. Get an antivirus package that scans email as it is received (before you get a chance to open it).
3. Scan all attachments regardless of type (Windows hides extensions, this can be used against you to rename file.exe to file.jpg.exe)
4. If your BIOS supports it, turn on the BIOS antivirus system. This will protect you from viruses that modify the boot sector. Don't forget to turn this off if you reinstall your OS.
5. If you receive an unsolicited file from someone you do not know, do not open the file even if you have scanned it. Your virus defs may not be up to date enough to catch this potentially new virus threat.
There are other things you can do, but these items are basic and should be done by anyone sitting in front of a computer.
BTW, if you have a CDR drive or a tape backup system, use it to backup your important data at least weekly. If you have access to a few megs of FTP space somewhere on the Internet, upload it (might not want to upload sensitive data unless you are sure of it's security).
Chris
