Just got a very sneaky virus type email

Bigstan said:
Precisely. I can see absolutely no good reason not to use one.
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Exactly. You can get some decent free AV, so it's only gonna cost you time (10 mins to download + install).
Although the risk is small, it's just not worth it. If you get a virus and then have to reinstall windows it's going to be a lot of hassle, likewise if you lose some important data.
 
Hornchurch said:
I don't visit dodgy websites, so really theres going to be a 0.1% chance of me getting a virus.
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Are you using Windows? Or are you using Linux or OS X?

If you use Windows and you visit websites such as MySpace, asus.com (the mobo manufacturer) and even The Register, then you run the risk of getting infected.
 
Excuse my ignorance, but how can you get a virus from a jpeg? Surely for a virus to infect your PC, a program needs to be ran.
 
You can't someone could disguise an exe as a jpeg but as these are almost always in archives it's easy to tell it's not a real picture.
 
divine` said:
This place is a risk really. What with viruses being implantable in Jpg files etc.
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Can you show me where on earth you are getting this from? No modern browser will allow you to get a virus through a malformed jpg....

edit:That virus posted above specifically requires an exe to be run first... so unless you have run that, you arn't at risk really, although I take your point moreso now
 
Hornchurch said:
So ebay, gamespot, digg etc are going to put me at a high risk? I somewhat doubt that.
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How do you know for a 100% fact that its the site you think it is, and someone hasn't done a DNS poison attack and redirected you to some place that just looks like Ebay ?

Do you wear a seat belt ? Lock your doors ?

I do both, but i've never been burgaled or been in a serious car accident.
 
The .jpg virus is a bit old, but the Windows Metafile virus is more recent. Without any antivirus software installed, you'd have been vulnerable to getting pwned.
 
Granted the jpg example may not be the best one, but I was using here as an example. We've all seen the 'why does this thread make my virus checker come up?' threads :p
 
That quoted virus was not a particularly bad one, more a proof of concept, but all that was required was to open a .jpg file.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/06/14/first_jpeg_virus_not/

Also look at the string of bad things that have come out of legitimate industries, Sony and its DRM rootkit, creative mp3 players also shipped with a virus once upon a time too

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/01/creative_mp3_player_virus_flap/

So it doesnt matter how carefull you are, odds are you will get one eventually and thats when you will need AV installed
 
Update: Maxtor drives contain password-stealing Trojans


November 12, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Seagate Technology LLC has shipped Maxtor disk drives that contain Trojan horses that upload data to a pair of Chinese Web sites, the Taiwanese government's security service warned this weekend.

The Investigation Bureau, a part of the Ministry of Justice that's responsible for both internal security and foreign threats, said it suspected mainland China's authorities were responsible for planting the malware on the drives at the factory. "The bureau said that the method of attack was unusual, adding that it suspected Chinese authorities were involved," a story posted by the English-language Taipei Times reported Sunday. "Sensitive information may have already been intercepted by Beijing through the two Web sites, the bureau said."

......

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9046424
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Who was saying they don't need AV software ?

Hope you haven't bought one of these drives !
 
I have antivirus software, but I don't have it running all the time. I just run a scan when I think about it, every couple of days. It seems a bit slipshod, but after 10 years without any viruses, it seems adequate. The last virus I got was due to my opening an archive that had been flagged as infected and which came as an uninvited email attachment, i.e. foolishness on my part. I had a Word macro virus once. That's it - two viruses in 20 years.

However...I also check the processes I have running quite often and I will recognise and investigate any new ones.
 
I'm fairly sure we have had signature-related malware here. We've certainly had people's signatures trigger virus warnings. I've seen word documents from Microsoft given out at courses, complete with macro virus payloads, software compilation CDs (the type that come with various computer magazines) infected with viruses, and I suspect most of us have heard about the rootkit-laden music CDs from Sony BMG (I don't care whether Sony say it's harmless or not, I don't want that sort of thing on my PC, thankyou).

I'm an IT professional, have been for 15 years. I don't go around clicking on random dodgy sites. Never had one of those silly phone dialers or other malware get anywhere near my PCs. Indeed, I've never had a virus issue that I can attribute to being my fault.

None of this however helps if some miscreant (or naive person without anti-virus software) gets a bit careless and ends up with an infected signature here, or starts sending MSN messages to their entire contact list in the hope that one of them has a bad day and doesn't notice the malware they've been sent, or gets their site hacked and an otherwise legit site thus turns into cannon-fodder for a botnet looking for it's next victim.

Given the number of bot-infected PCs I've seen try to poke their way into my network (my internet-facing systems are running Linux - sorry, you lose), or try a few thousand random passwords in the hope that I don't choose suitably strong passwords (which I do, you lose again), I know all too well how often other people haven't taken due care and attention.

In short - I can control what I do, but I can't control what everyone else does. Would I go without anti-virus? Not on your life.
 
I get quite a few emails like that plus ones with PDFs attached. Just delete them straight away.
 
Welshy said:
Very nearly fell for one of these emails that make you download something, very clever and sneaky one i think :


Hovered over the "click here" to see the address, "****/card.exe".

Doesn't look like a hallmark address :p

Just thought id pass it around, not seen it before and nearly fell for it :o
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Ask a friend to open it, or do it at work... I always opened them when i was in school... back in the day...
 
Angilion said:
I have antivirus software, but I don't have it running all the time. I just run a scan when I think about it, every couple of days. It seems a bit slipshod, but after 10 years without any viruses, it seems adequate. The last virus I got was due to my opening an archive that had been flagged as infected and which came as an uninvited email attachment, i.e. foolishness on my part. I had a Word macro virus once. That's it - two viruses in 20 years.

However...I also check the processes I have running quite often and I will recognise and investigate any new ones.
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Ever heard of a root kit? ;)
 
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