| Friday, October 12, 2001 |
 "Dromed virus" revisited... - 9:57:44 PM - MsLedd |
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Some interesting information regarding the virus infected "Dromed Optimizer" that is being distributed to fan mission authors via email by some pestilent assmonkey (who obviously has no life, no friends and I'm guessing no talent whatsoever when it comes to designing levels himself, which is why he's targeted successful mission authors for his pathetic attack, but I digress...).
Note: This file, (named "setup.exe") is not a Dromed file of any sort, nor was it created for Dromed. It is specifically targeted at Dromed users through selective email distribution, and the declaration that it is a Dromed optimizing program. It's not a Dromed program with a virus, it's a virus labelled as a Dromed program. Trimfect's F-Secure program flagged the file as being infected with the MutaGen virus. However... Norton, McAfee and Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus programs (all with the most recent definitions) all reported the file as clean. Furthermore all three programs' virus information contained detailed information about MutaGen, and indicated that it was among the detectable threats. (hmmm...) I sent a copy of the emailed file to Symantec's Anti-Virus Research Center (SARC) with information and a request for response. This is what I received today...
Now, you're probably wondering the same thing I was, and asking yourself the same question... "Antonio Banderas... boxers or briefs?" Anyway... I have uploaded the virus updater file that they sent me HERE for anyone who also uses NAV and is interested. (BTW, after running the update NAV did in fact identify the suspect file as being infected) This incident brings up an important issue regarding protecting yourself against potential threats from the big bad Internet... The commonly used standard warning "Don't Open Attachments... unless you know and love the source" while good advice, is not enough. It is an unfortunate but true fact that those we know and love are not incapable of unknowingly passing on dangerous files to us. A fact that is accentuated by the current trend in trojans/worms to spread themselves via email unbeknownst to the user. You can't rely solely on trust... Basically, you should treat all downloads, email and attachments as potential hazards and employ programs that continuously monitor and protect incoming files. A good anti-virus program (with current, updated virus definition files) running constantly on your PC is a must for any computer. Plus, many of the major anti-virus programs now have email scanning features which watch for and protect against all the latest threats. Here are the top four AV programs as rated by ZDNet Reviews: However, as illustrated in this case with the "Dromed optimizer" email, AV programs are not infallible. So, common sense must be used as well...
When in doubt, don't. Either delete the email, or check it out thoroughly using all methods available before proceeding. Another method of protection is available from ZoneAlarm, which is an excellent and very popular personal firewall program. ZoneAlarm offers an automatic quarantine feature which kicks in and disables all risk type attachments by renaming the file's extension making it impossible for the file to be run accidentally. The bad guys are out there, and yes it seems they've got nothing better to do than to sit around dreaming up ways to screw with the rest of us... (because lord knows they'll never get laid) ~M  |
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