NEW COMPUTER WORM!!!!

[Montana_621]

This one looks like a bad one so I wanted to make sure to post it in a place where you were likely to see it.

http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/09/tech...ex.htm?cnn=yes

What is wrong with these people anyway?

[cargary]

Thanks Melissa and Mike for the forwarning of a new virus. I hope this is not one that doesn't even require that it be opened. I'm not very computer savy, but understand that some virus's can infect your computer just by going online and opening up your email browser.
Thanks again. We will be watching for this new one and delete it as soon as we see it.

Gary & Carole

[sreigle]

Gary & Carole, I don't know what you use for email. If it's Outlook Express, here's a couple of things that might help protect you.

If you have the preview pane where you can see the email contents just by clicking on the email subject in the list of emails, that's tatamount to opening the email and can activate a virus. I eliminated the preview pane so I have to doubleclick on the email to read it. That allows me to choose which ones I read rather than having whichever is selected automatically when OE starts be opened. To eliminate the preview pane, go to View/Layout, then uncheck the Show Preview Pane option.

Another thing is if I get an email I'm not sure if it's one I want or not, then you can look inside it without opening it. This, again, is in Outlook Express. Here's how you do that.
1. rightclick on the email.
2. select Properties.
3. Click on the Details tab.
4. Click the Message Source button.

This opens a window showing the email contents. It also shows the headers and other gibberish but if you scroll down you can see enough to tell you it's an email you want or don't. Then just close that box and either delete or open the email.

[Chuck and Carol]

A virus got me two years ago. Ruined my computer. The stupid thing had a smiley face attached. It was set up some how to go off if you tried running norton. Which I did.
Not opening anything anymore that I don't know whats in it. I do e-bay and my customers use paypal, so I am going to be very very careful from now. Thanks for the warning. I really do appreciate it.

Carol

[cargary]

Steve:
We use America on line as our internet service provider. I'm pretty sure that we don't use outlook express, because sometimes I get an email from someone I know and a pop up will ask the question - You currently don't have Outlook selected and would you like to have it open this file?
So, I don't know what other safeguards I can select. I could try to contact AOL and ask someone for assistance. However, now days you get someone from India and I can't understand them.

Any ideas will be appreciated.

Gary & Carole

[Northstar]

Thanks for the info on the new virus. Keep us posted. Happyrving.........

[Gene Chaltry]

There is a FREE program called eprompter. It lets you view your emails from the server and don't let them on your computer. You can view, write and send right from the server. You can read more about this at www.eprompter.com

[sreigle]

Gary & Carole, you're probably not using Outlook Express if you're using AOL, unless maybe you're using the 'bring your own access' option for getting to AOL (not sure they still have that option). But I understand AOL has a pretty good virus check of all incoming email so you may be just fine. These worms can be nasty, though (just fought through one myself very recently). My fear is that I'll contract a brand new virus/worm that the virus checkers don't even have updates to check for yet. I have an antivirus package running all the time on my system. Also an anti-spyware checker that is supposed to stop spyware/adware from getting on my system in the first place. I added that after fighting that worm that just kept coming back even when Adware and McAfee's AntiSpyware both said they'd removed it. Finally licked it but I was tearing hair for awhile. I consider it an affront and a challenge to get it off here. My brother is 120 miles away and is having similar problems. So I may make a trip to help him with this one of these days.