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/

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