--=======4F8C3CA0======= Content-Type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-6CDC3A50; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Yes, the subject is getting tedious -- for both you and I. But the BadTrans worm continues to circulate, and I continue to receive it many times daily. Not only am I running out of time and patience to gently explain to each sender, but there's a new worm tonight, "Gone," making its appearance. The only way to break these cycles is for all of us to take adequate precautions, which I will outline below. Please don't think that this sort of stuff will simply "blow over" -- I'm afraid these things are here to stay. We can all each spend a moment or two each day on internet security, or we can watch our genealogy lists crippled and ultimately disabled. It's up to us. (1) Each and every one of us needs virus-scanning software, with up-to-date signature (virus recognition) files. In weeks like this one, new signature files may be released as often as several times a day, and you MUST keep up with these. Yesterday's signature file will NOT recognize the virus written today! Many commercial programs are available, the best probably being Norton AntiVirus and PcCillin. (McAfee is considered by most computer professionals to be the most inconsistent of the commercial choices.) Be aware that each program uses different algorithms to look for signs of a virus -- so one program may not catch a new virus which another program does recognize. Each developer may have different practices on releasing signature updates -- you want the folks who respond the quickest by releasing a new signature file. You also have three FREE choices, two which you download, and one which will provide you with a free (but slow) online system scan. These are F-Prot (from Iceland, rumored to be used by the Dept. of Defense) http://www.complex.is/cgi-bin/home_pager AVG (you may have trouble getting through to their busy server) http://www.grisoft.com/html/us_dwnl3.cfm?reg=new HouseCall (online, from the maker of PC-Cillin) http://housecall.antivirus.com/housecall/start_pcc.asp Note that HouseCall is only a bandaid solution -- you want around-the-clock protection to avoid getting hit, not just a one-time checkup and disinfection after your machine has already been infected. (2) I recommend that you set up the software to be resident, that is, always scanning anything incoming. For some folks this is impractical -- the software may cause other programs to crash, or consume too much in the way of system resources. In this case, I recommend you begin the practice of scanning, immediately after downloading new mail, the contents of the directory ("folder") in which you store your incoming mail -- BEFORE you read or even preview one single item. This takes only seconds and can be done without having to commit system resources to enable a program to run 24/7. Even previewing an infected message in Outlook Express may be enough to infect your machine, without ever opening the message with a mouse click. (3) The old habit of making a dialup connection, and then staying on for hours at a time, is becoming a substantial security risk. Unless you have a firewall (PortIce, ZoneAlarm, BlackIce, etc.) installed, your computer can be pinged and accessed by other computers, without your knowledge, as long as you are connected to the Internet. The newer, safer practice replicates the "old days" -- you log on to get your mail, then log off the 'Net to read and write your responses to it. There's also a lot to be said for this practice as well in terms of not hogging bandwidth, and slowing things down for other users. (4) Most of the recent worms and viruses target Microsoft products -- Outlook, Outlook Express, and Internet Explorer. This is not surprising, when you think about it. Not only are there many, many documented security holes in these three Microsoft products, but if you are an angry teenaged cracker writing these programs, don't you want to target the software with the largest installed user base? That is, of course, Microsoft. The third reason it's not surprising is that Microsoft is conspicuously an arrogant monopoly which has been sued by half the states and the federal government for its monopolistic practices. Every time Bill Gates appears on the TV to tout XP or some other new release, I'm sure he inspires dozens of crackers to try to write more malicious code which will target his products. He is, after all, the richest man in the world -- who better to target? I recommend in the STRONGEST terms that you avoid Outlook Express like the plague -- it's basically a magnet for these problems, as well as a really wimpy piece of software. Two other free, and vastly more full-featured, email programs are Eudora (in the free version, it's "sponsorware," with small ads in one corner) and Pegasus Mail (absolutely free). There's really no reason not to switch to one of these, unless you enjoy insecurity, viruses, and repetitive paranoia. To download Eudora: http://www.eudora.com/ To download Pegasus Mail: http://www.pmail.com/ As for Internet Explorer, you MUST keep up to date with the frequent security patches released by Microsoft if you continue to use this product. I recommend that you set up your machine with the Windows Update routine so that you will be notified every time an update or patch is released. Windows Update is automatically configured to run in most newer machines. If it's not, you can use the Start/Find/Files or Folders applet to search for C:\WINDOWS\WUPDMGR.EXE, and double-click on that to manually run the update. Once you are connected to Microsoft's Windows Update website, there's an option to download an applet to install a\utomatic checking for new patches every time you log onto the Internet. I recommend that you set this up. The MS server will search your system to see what you have installed, and then present a list of "Critical" and "Recommended" patches and upgrades. You MUST approve anything marked Critical, but everything else is discretionary. Click on Download, and the server will download and automatically install whatever patches are needed to bring you current. Windows Update isn't just for users of I/E, but for anyone using Windows as their operating system. (5) Prevention. You can't look for giveaway names ("Hahaha" or "sexyfun.com") anymore. The latest viruses and worms are smart enough to raid your address book, or email inbox, and send spawn of themselves to all the addresses found in there. Viruses and worms do NOT have to come as an attachment -- they can be hidden in HTML (web page markup language) code or in a Microsoft Word macro embedded in a Word document. As listowner I will do the job of alerting my lists when a new virus or worm appears -- in a brief notice -- but then it's YOUR job to log onto the Internet and learn enough about the new problem to recognize it when it appears in your mail, and to kill it there before it can replicate and spread from you to others. People will only stop writing these things when we are all fully protected. And realize that the urge to send pretty HTML emails and to use all the latest stationary, holiday cards and other gadgets only increases your risk of an infection. Plain text, whenever it will do the job, remains the safest method of communication by a country mile. PLEASE BOOKMARK THESE PAGES for current virus info and advisories: Symantec (makers of Norton AntiVirus) http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/ TrendMicro (makers of PC-Cillin) http://www.antivirus.com/vinfo/ And please continue to observe the standard precautions -- don't open unexpected attachments (you can always email the sender to confirm), don't open attachments with double file extensions (someone last night sent me ME_NUDE.scr.pif), and consult one of the antivirus sites immediately if you're at all suspicious about an incoming piece of mail. Chris Christopher Brooks, List Administrator: ==================================== BROOKS-NE (Brooks Families of New England), HAPGOOD, and MERRIAM lists at RootsWeb. ==================================== [email protected] --=======4F8C3CA0======= Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-avg=cert; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-6CDC3A50 Content-Disposition: inline --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.303 / Virus Database: 164 - Release Date: 11/24/01 --=======4F8C3CA0=======--