X-Message-Number: 17854 Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2001 08:08:03 -0500 From: Ben Best <> Subject: Computer virus in the cryonics community On Sunday I received an e-mail from a trusted cryonicist containing an attachment which I tried to open. Attempting to open this attachment released a virus into my computer. This virus e-mailed itself to a wide range of e-mail addresses which it found in my computer in the form of attachments. Although I sent warnings to all e-mail addresses in my address book, this virus was able to also send itself to many e-mail addresses not in my address book, but which were simply on e-mail messages which it found in my folders. (I have recently switched e-mail editors so my new address book has fewer addresses than my old one). Since many of the recipients were people in the cryonics community with whom I have communicated I am posting my remedies. I went to the McAfee site: http://mcafeestore.beyond.com/Features/0,1355,3-18-219-425-1,00.html and ordered VirusScan 6.0. I took the risk of ordering by credit card for immediate download -- risky because the virus still had the upperhand on my PC. Ordering from McAfee can be done by phone: 1-888-622-3331. After downloading and running VirusScan I went to the PC-cillin URL: http://housecall.antivirus.com/housecall/start_pcc.asp and ran a scan of my PC from the web. Twice the scan was stopped by McAfee VirusScan prompting me to clean or delete an executable file. In both cases I cleaned successfully. I think VirusScan is better at preventing new viruses from entering the PC than at deleting every existing virus. The PC-cillin site evidently stirred-up the residual viruses enough for VirusScan to eliminate them. I did a second PC-cillin scan of my computer and it gave me a clean bill of health. My PC has sent no virus laiden e-mails since Sunday and both the automatic VirusScan activity and an additional PC-cillin scan on Monday has revealed nothing. I think I have cleaned the virus from my PC. I am sorry to risk wasting bandwidth about a virus on CryoNet, but I know of 3 cryonicists who have received an e-mail sent by the virus from my PC and become infected by trying to open the attachment (many more cryonicists received the message and did not attempt to open). I do not send execuable attachments in my e-mail messages, so if you received one from my e-mail address, please do not open it. I don't want any more victims. -- Ben Best () http://www.benbest.com/ Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=17854