WARNING ! NEW DAMAGING VIRUS !

General discussion about Celestia that doesn't fit into other forums.
Avatar
Topic author
Cham M
Posts: 4324
Joined: 14.01.2004
Age: 60
With us: 20 years 10 months
Location: Montreal

WARNING ! NEW DAMAGING VIRUS !

Post #1by Cham » 12.07.2005, 18:33

BEWARE guys,

apparently, there's a new virus in town. This one may be the most damaging virus in history, according to Microsoft. I hope it's only a joke, but I received a warning message by email from some people I know. I don't have much details on it, except that the virus appeared yesterday and can be received by normal email. Apparently, it could destroy your entire HD. Here's the message I received, it's in French, sorry? :

>> >Objet : attention c'est serieux
>> >attention virus
>> >
>> >SVP ENVOYEZ CE MESSAGE A TOUTE VOTRE LISTE DE CONTACTS LE PLUS MAUVAIS
>> >VIRUS JAMAIS ANNONCE.
>> > Un nouveau virus a ?©t?© d?©couvert. Il a ?©t?© class?© par Microsoft comme
>> >le plus destructeur jamais connu. Ce virus a ?©t?© d?©couvert hier apr??s
>> >midi par McAffee et aucun vaccin n'a encore ?©t?© d?©velopp?© . Ce virus
>> >d?©truit simplement le Z?©ro de Secteur du disque dur et les informations
>> >essentielles de son fonctionnement sont stock?©es.
>> > Ce virus agit de la facon suivante:
>> >Il s'envoie automatiquement ?  tous les contacts de ta liste avec le
>> >titre "UNE-CARTE-POUR-VOUS". Aussit??t ouvert la carte g??le
>>l'ordinateur.
>> >Quand les clefs ctrl alt suppr et la commande de red?©marrage sont
>> >activ?©es, le virus d?©truit le Z?©ro du Secteur d?©truisant ainsi de
>> >mani??re permanente le disque dur.
>> >
>> > Ne pas accepter le contact ^pti_bout_de_chou@hotmail.com
>> ><mailto:%5epti_bout_de_chou@hotmail.com> "
>> >
>> > C'EST UN VIRUS!!!! Si tu ne le fais pas passer et que 1 de tes amis le
>> >rajoute a ses contacts, tu seras toi aussi atteint !
>> > renvoie-le a toute les personnes de tes contacts je suis sur que tes
>> >amis pr?©f??rerais les recevoir 25 fois que ne pas en avoir ?©t?© averti
>> >!!!!
>> >
>> > STP fais suivre !!! ET VITE!!!

"Well! I've often seen a cat without a grin", thought Alice; "but a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ever saw in all my life!"

Fightspit
Posts: 510
Joined: 15.05.2005
With us: 19 years 6 months

Post #2by Fightspit » 12.07.2005, 18:44

Je ne l'ai pas encore re?§u ce type de message mais il faut rester vigilant !
I haven't get this message but we must stay watchful !

le Z?©ro de Secteur du disque dur

Quellequ'un sait qu'est que "le Z?©ro de Secteur du disque dur" ?
Anybody know what is "the Zero of Sector of Hard Disk Drive" ?

P.S. Sorry for the translation....
D?©sol?© pour la traduction .....
Motherboard: Intel D975XBX2
Processor: Intel Core2 E6700 @ 3Ghz
Ram: Corsair 2 x 1GB DDR2 PC6400
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 384 bits PCI-Express 16x
HDD: Western Digital Raptor 150GB 10000 rpm
OS: Windows Vista Business 32 bits

TourqeGlare
Posts: 100
Joined: 07.05.2005
With us: 19 years 6 months
Location: Wherever Vger went

Post #3by TourqeGlare » 12.07.2005, 20:33

> > > Subject: attention they is serieux
> > > virus attention
> > >
> > > PLEASE SEND EC MESSAGE ALL YOUR LIST OF The WORST
CONTACTS
> > > VIRUS NEVER ADVERTISEMENT.
> > > a new virus was discovered. It was classified by Microsoft like
> > > most destroying never known. This virus was yesterday discovered afterwards
> > > midday by McAffee and any vaccine was not still
developed. This virus
> > > simply destroyed the Zero of Sector of the hard disk and
information
> > > essential of its operation are stored.
> > > This virus acts in the following way:
> > > It is sent automatically to all the contacts of your list with
> > > title "UNE-CARTE-POUR YOU". At once open the chart freezes
>> the computer.
> > > When the keys ctrl alt suppr and orders it restarting are
> > > activated, the virus destroys the Zero of the thus destroying Sector
> > > permanent manner the hard disk.
> > >
> > > not to accept the contact ^pti_bout_de_chou@hotmail.COM
> > > < mailto:%5epti_bout_de_chou@hotmail.COM > "
> > >
> > > It IS A VIRUS!!!! If you do not make it pass and that 1 of your friends it
> > > adds has its contacts, you will be you also reached!
> > > returns has it all the people of your contacts I am on that
your
> > > friendly pr?©f??rerais to receive them 25 times that not
of to be informed
> > >!!!!
> > >
> > > STP make follow!!! AND QUICKLY!!!

Hamiltonian
Posts: 51
Joined: 27.10.2004
With us: 20 years 1 month

Post #4by Hamiltonian » 12.07.2005, 20:58

Sigh.
It's another hoax "virus alert" - the hysterical tone, the reference to baffled experts, and the exhortation to pass this message on to everyone you know is pretty much diagnostic.
It would appear to be related to "A Virtual Card For You":
http://vmyths.com/hoax.cfm?id=222&page=3

ar81
Posts: 61
Joined: 13.06.2005
With us: 19 years 5 months

Post #5by ar81 » 12.07.2005, 21:04

Once I was warned about a virus that might eat food in the fridge, leave women pregnant and steal the car keys... It also would change earth orbit if you open the email.

TourqeGlare
Posts: 100
Joined: 07.05.2005
With us: 19 years 6 months
Location: Wherever Vger went

Post #6by TourqeGlare » 12.07.2005, 21:11

Dont panic as you read the first lines.
Its a joke. Note the "Photobucket and ".jpg"
in the address.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/b ... Virus1.jpg

Avatar
Topic author
Cham M
Posts: 4324
Joined: 14.01.2004
Age: 60
With us: 20 years 10 months
Location: Montreal

Post #7by Cham » 12.07.2005, 21:18

AAargh! :oops:

You're right, it's just a hoax. At least, it isn't real.

I have taken that warning as a serious one. I'm just not acustomised to virus. There's none on the Mac. :-)

So please just delete that useless topic.
"Well! I've often seen a cat without a grin", thought Alice; "but a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ever saw in all my life!"

Spaceman Spiff
Posts: 420
Joined: 21.02.2002
With us: 22 years 9 months
Location: Darmstadt, Germany.

Post #8by Spaceman Spiff » 12.07.2005, 21:42

OK Cham, some hints on how to check for clues:

1. Microsoft itself does not discover and classify viruses. It's still working on its own AV software.

2. McAfee (one 'f', not two) have made no such report. This can be checked at McAfee's website itself. There is no such 'high/highest risk' virus reported. All reports from yesterday are 'low risk' or lower ... Meanwhile, you can find McAfee's report on the Virtual card virus hoax at http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=description&virus_k=98893 with a very similar wording in French, English and other languages. Notice the report date: 01 Dec 2003. Smell at rat? Who sent you that e-mail, someone you know or someone you don't?

3. Note there was there no date on this e-mail? When is meant by 'yesterday ... midday?'

4. This kind of hoax has been done before. I expect it's to cause a surge in e-mails in the hope of crashing mail servers.

5. It's so badly written (even in French) I'd disregard it for that alone.

6. Sigh, oh dear...

Fightspit wrote:
Anybody know what is "the Zero of Sector of Hard Disk Drive" ?


Well, if even Fightspit can't have a chance to understand about that in French, then the e-mail really was a piece of tosh.

Fightspit: the hoaxer means the first sector of a hard drive: "sector zero" (sectors are counted starting at zero, not one) with the "Master Boot Record" (MBR). I think the following won't accurately apply to Macs. This sector (512 bytes in size) holds the code to boot an OS, and also the partition table. You can make your entire hard drive appear to be unbootable by removing the code there, and even make partitions disappear by setting one or more of the the partition table's four entries to zeroes. However, the actual data in sectors 1+ remain unaffected if you do this. This means you can recover your hard drive if a virus did erase your MBR (and there are a few that do) by rewriting a back up image of the first sector. A hex editor and dump tool can do this. You people do back up your MBR don't you, even with paper and pencil, right? See the Starman for details: http://thestarman.pcministry.com/asm/mbr/MBR_in_detail.htm. Or, if you have Linux, it's terribly easy with:

Code: Select all

> dd if=/dev/hda of=mbrbackup.dat count=1 bs=512


and for $EXPLETIVE's sake, don't store this back up on the same hard drive! I mention this to show that there are ways to protect yourself. Otherwise, might I suggest...

7. Avoid MS Outlook. Avoid MS Windows. Ah, just avoid MS. If you are rich, get a Mac. If you are poor, get Linux.

Right, that's it before I say... And ninethly!

Spiff.

symaski62
Posts: 610
Joined: 01.05.2004
Age: 41
With us: 20 years 6 months
Location: france, divion

Post #9by symaski62 » 13.07.2005, 12:41

6/7/2005

VIRUS TRES DANGEREUX
A lire d'urgence s'il vous plait, envoyez ce message ?  toute votre liste de contacts = le plus mauvais virus jamais annonc?©.

Un nouveau virus a ?©t?© d?©couvert. Il a ?©t?© classifi?© par Microsoft, comme le plus destructif jamais connu !! Ce virus a ?©t?© d?©couvert hier apres midi par McAfee et aucun vaccin n'a encore ?©t?© d?©couvert. Ce virus d?©truit
simplement le Zero du secteur du disque dur,ou les informations essentielles de son fonctionnement sont stock?©es. Ce virus agit de la facon suivante = il s'envoie automatiquement a tous les contacts de votre liste avec le titre ''Une Carte pour Vous ''. Aussitot que la carte suppos?©e virtuelle est ouverte, il gele l'ordinateur si bien que l'utilisateur doit r?©amorcer. Quand les clefs Ctrl+Alt+Suppr ou la commande de r?©d?©marrage sont appuy?©es, le vi rus d?©truit le Zero du Secteur, ainsi d?©truisant de maniere permanente le disque dur. Hier en quelques heures seulement, ce virus a caus?© une panique a New York, selon le journal t?©l?©vis?© de CNN. Cette alerte a ?©t?© recue par un employ?© de Microsoft lui-meme. n'ouvrez donc pas de courrier avec le sujet : '' Une Carte Virtuelle Pour Vous ''.

Passez ce courrier a tous vos amis s'il vous plait.(copier coller). Exp?©diez ca a tout votre carnet d'adresses, je suis sure que la plupart des gens, comme moi,pr?©f?©reraient recevoir cet avis 25 fois que pas du tout.


:wink:
windows 10 directX 12 version
celestia 1.7.0 64 bits
with a general handicap of 80% and it makes much d' efforts for the community and s' expimer, thank you d' to be understanding.

Avatar
selden
Developer
Posts: 10192
Joined: 04.09.2002
With us: 22 years 2 months
Location: NY, USA

Post #10by selden » 13.07.2005, 13:58

symaski62,

c'est un CANULAR!

Au cas o?? vous ne saviez pas, juste au sujet de tous les messages qui indiquent le "foward ceci au tout vos amis" sont des canulars.
Selden

symaski62
Posts: 610
Joined: 01.05.2004
Age: 41
With us: 20 years 6 months
Location: france, divion

Post #11by symaski62 » 13.07.2005, 22:41

selden wrote:symaski62,

c'est un CANULAR!

Au cas o?? vous ne saviez pas, juste au sujet de tous les messages qui indiquent le "foward ceci au tout vos amis" sont des canulars.


http://www.hoaxkiller.fr/hoax/2001/viru ... l_card.htm

:wink: 2001
windows 10 directX 12 version
celestia 1.7.0 64 bits
with a general handicap of 80% and it makes much d' efforts for the community and s' expimer, thank you d' to be understanding.


Return to “Celestia Users”